Kathleen Akerlund

Kathleen Akerlund, 77, of Aurora, passed away peacefully at her home on October 28, 2020.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, November 4 at the Messiah Lutheran Church, 415 South 18th St.  Family will greet friends 90 minutes before the service.  Rev. Karen Tjarks will officiate.   Inurnment will be in the Aurora Cemetery at a later date.  Due to Covid-19 the current CDC guidelines will be followed and face masks are required.  The service will be livestreamed on the Messiah Lutheran Church Facebook page.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be to Lutheran World Relief or Messiah Lutheran Church. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Kathleen Kay (Pierson) Akerlund, 77, passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. She was surrounded by her three daughters and husband of 48 years.
Kathleen was born on April 8, 1943 in Lincoln, to Lowell and Ruth (Pape) Pierson. She grew up on a farm southeast of Lincoln and attended Bennet High School. After graduation, she worked in Lincoln, where she met and married Richard Akerlund in 1972. The couple made their home in Lincoln before moving to Aurora in 1978 where Richard established his accounting practice.
Kathleen was an active member of Messiah Lutheran Church, where she used her talents to make countless quilts for Lutheran World Relief and volunteered in various capacities. She was a long-time volunteer for the Hamilton County Food Pantry, serving on the board for many years, and also served on the Alice M. Farr Public Library Board. A lifelong learner, Kathleen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1994, graduating with honors. She cherished time spent with her family and spent a part of each day in devotion.
She leaves her husband, Richard; children Kelly Brown (Ron Lubarsky) of Scottsdale, Arizona, Jennie (Bill) Kuehner of Aurora, Tricia (Mike) Moyer of Norfolk; stepson Todd Akerlund of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren Elena and Garrett Kuehner of Aurora and Pierson Moyer of Norfolk; sister Marilyn Baily, brother Elton (Mona) Pierson, brother-in-law Mel Schmidt, sister-in-law Sheryl (Rick) Matthes, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Roger Pierson, and sister, Karen Schmidt.