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Nellie R. 'Nell' DeVitt Seguin, TX QCWA # 25742 Chapter 14 |
Nell Hermanson Devitt-Freiberger died December 3, 2009 in Temple, Texas.
She was born August 3, 1925 on the old Frank Mund farm south of Milnor, North Dakota, to Regena (Fadness) and Annon Hermanson. Her grandparents owned the Hogness place as well as the C.W. Bennett farm (now Alice and Donnie Lee farm). Nell graduated from Milnor High School, Ellendale State Normal and Industrial College, Colorado State (Master's Degree) as well as doing graduate work at the University of Minnesota. She married Donald Devitt in 1942. He also graduated from Colorado State. They taught school (Nell for four years in North Dakota and 29 years in California, Donald for 15 years in California). Donald worked for the State of California for 10 years as an Employment and Claims Assistant. He retired in 1982 and Nell in 1984. She taught college the last 17 years of her career, Porterville College, Humboldt State College, and MiraCosta College. They lived at Little Lake McDonald in Minnesota, wintering in Texas, Florida, and California, from 1984 until 1989, when they moved to Desert Hot Springs, California. Donald died in 1996.
In October 2000, Nell married amateur radio operator, Hank Freiberger, and moved to Texas. Nell was an avid golfer (champion of Desert Crest Golf Club), bridge player, and amateur radio operator (she was the first person to give out fifty states mobile and the first female operator to give out all 3077 counties in the United States for her county hunting family). She drove many hundreds of miles out of her way to give her county hunting friends a contact for their "last" county. Nell credited her husband, Hank, for motivating her to finish giving out (exchanging signal reports from her car) the rest of the counties. She also enjoyed quilting, making doll clothes, playing bridge, and going on cruises with Hank.
She loved teaching (many of her former students still kept in touch with her) and she loved her son, Ron, who preceded her in death in October 2004. She is survived by her husband, Hank; three grandchildren, six great grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.