She is survived by her daughter, Judith (Holsclaw) Baustert; her grandsons, Todd Baustert and wife Jami, Troy Baustert and his wife Jennifer, and seven great grandchildren; Ella, Nora, Tatum, Riley, Logan, Hadley, and Brynnley.
Merna was born in Butte, Nebraska to Pete Nelson and Christina (Sorenson) Nelson, the youngest of 5 children. The family lived in Butte for a number of years until they moved to a farm north of Spencer, Nebraska. Merna attended a country school and then moved on to attend St. Charles High School and then Syracuse High School where she graduated in 1940. She married William (Bill) Holsclaw in 1941. Their only child, Judith, was born in 1946. Bill was killed in a trucking accident in 1960 and Merna would go on to remarry. In 1963, she married Virgil (Curly) Young, and they were happily married until his death in 2005.
During her working years, Merna worked as a cashier at Sears, then at the Lincoln Gas and Utilities Company until her retirement in 1979. She enjoyed visiting with family and friends, hosting family holidays, and traveling. She had a love for music, dancing, bingo, and spending time with her family, especially her great grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husbands Bill and Virgil, sisters, Ruby, Margaret, and Norma, brother Raymond, and son-in-law Joseph Baustert.
Services will be held in the chapel at Lakeside Immanuel Village, on Saturday, November 25th at 10:30 a.m. There will be a reception following the service.
Burial at a later date at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.