Florence Marie (Hansen) Lemmer, 82, of Stapleton, Nebraska passed away at Great Plains Health on January 4th, 2026 surrounded by her family.  She was born on August 25, 1943 in Malad City, Idaho to Pearn E and Florence Evelyn Knutson Hansen.  Her father passed away when she was 2 years old, and her mother later married Gordon Fred Robinson who would raise her and her sister Dorothy.  This marriage also gave Marie a baby brother Butch, to whom she was very close to.

Marie was baptized in a congregational church on April 10, 1955 and began her journey with the Lord.

She grew up in Rockland, Idaho. During her senior year she went and lived with her Aunt Jinx and Uncle Joe and graduated from Hagerman High School in 1961.  She received her Associate of Arts from Mid Plains Community College in North Platte, Nebraska on May 16th, 1987.

On a trip to Nebraska with one of her friends, she met Charles Simants.  They later married on July 6, 1966.  To this union 2 girls were born, Tina and Shelly.  They raised their family in Maxwell, Nebraska.  They divorced after their girls were grown.

Marie married Mike Lemmer on March 28th, 1998 at St. John Catholic Church in Stapleton, Nebraska where they then made their home.

Marie wore many hats throughout her life.  Her proudest work was when she sent books to soldiers who were actively serving our country.  The project was called Books for Troops. Marie, her daughters, grandchildren, and students from Stapleton sorted, labeled, packaged, and shipped over 20,000 books overseas.

She loved gardening and passed that love on to her girls and grandchildren.  She was also quite competitive, and was always up for a competition.  It could be a chili cookoff, a foot race, or a game of softball with her children and nieces and nephews.  When Marie turned 80, her daughter Shelly, Mike and her grandkids took her to Estes Park.  She convinced the boys to race go carts with her and she left the starting line like she was in the Indy 500.  She loved a good bargain, and could not pass up a garage sale.  She had a love for animals especially if they were strays.  They did not remain strays for long as Marie found a way to keep them even if she had to obtain permits.  Tina and Shelly were able to have a skunk, a raccoon, a coyote and numerous turtles growing up because of this.  She loved fishing and hunting in her younger years, and even taught Hunters Safety in Maxwell with Charles.  She also loved to write poems and stories, even having one published in a magazine.  Marie was feisty, stubborn, and quite the jokester.  Her family would not have had her any other way.

Marie loved her children and grandchildren, and she loved the community of Stapleton.  She had many friends there, and had no desire to leave.

She is survived by her girls Tina Barrett, Shelly Callaway (Mike Osterhoudt).  Her grandchildren Anthony (Danielle) Simants, Robert Evridge, Courtney (Drew) Feeney, Matthew (Annah) LaRue, and Tyson Callaway.  Great grandchildren Rylan, Ashton, Michael, Brantley, Oakley, Charlie, Adeline, Ainsley, Cora, Hattie, Charleigh, Hunter, and Hudson. Her brother Butch (Jean) Robinson. Her stepchildren and step grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.  She is also survived by her loyal cat, Tramp, that she rescued as a baby, whom Mark and Traci Frey have already graciously adopted.

Preceding her in death are her husband Mike Lemmer, father Pearn Hansen, mother Evelyn Robinson, stepfather Gordon Robinson, sister Dorothy Hartley, aunt and uncle Virginia and Joe Howard, and a great granddaughter Carlee.

Memorials are suggested to Saint John Catholic Church in Stapleton, Nebraska or to the Veterans Administration.