Donald Blessen, 83, of Columbus, Nebraska, died Sunday, December 5, 2021 at his home in Columbus.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 11, at 10:00 AM, at Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Ollie Fullmer officiating. The service will be broadcast live on the Gass Haney Facebook page. Visitation will be on Friday, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Gass Haney Funeral Home and continue on Saturday, from 9:00 AM until service time at the church. Interment will be in Roselawn Memorial Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Foundation.
Donald Otto Blessen was born on April 28, 1938, in Columbus, Nebraska, to Otto and Celia (Schwank) Blessen. He attended school in rural Columbus and graduated from Kramer High School in 1956. On February 6, 1959, Don was united in marriage to Phyllis Stickney in Yankton, South Dakota. He worked at Henke Machine for 51 ½ years, retiring in 2007. With his many skills acquired in the machining trade, Don enjoyed taking things apart, putting them back together, learning how they worked, and could fix anything. Don enjoyed bowling, trap shooting, and riding motorcycles. He was a member of the Gold Wing Motorcycle Club and had ridden in all 48 lower states and in six Canadian provinces. He was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Don was a fighter to the end and the dedication and love he shared with his wife of over 62 years helped him overcome many physical afflictions through the years.
Donald is survived by:
Wife: Phyllis Blessen of Columbus, NE
Daughter: Tamara (Rob) Liskovec of Monroe, NE
Son: Todd (Kathy) Blessen of Garrison, NE
Daughter: Teresa Sterup of Tecumseh, NE
Daughter: Tracy (Lynn) Belitz of Fullerton, NE
Daughter: Tonya (Matt) Dykstra of Omaha, NE
24 Grandchildren
35 Great Grandchildren
Sister: Rosemary (Jerry) Kracl of Schuyler, NE
Sister: Linda (Terry) Went of Columbus, NE
Sister-in-law: Beverly Blessen of David City, NE
Sister-in-law: Nancy (Howard) McBride of Omaha, NE
Donald was preceded in death by:
Parents: Otto & Celia Blessen
Grandson: Hank Dykstra
Brother: Ronald Blessen
Sister: Evelyn (Mark) Schmidt