Maria Aguilera

Notes:

Grand Island (Nebraska) Independent Saturday, May 13, 1967

Mrs. Rosalio (Maria) Briseno, 67, of 221 North Vine died Thursday at her home. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Mary's Cathedral with a requiem mass. Burial will be in the Grand Island Cemetery. (Further funeral arrangements omitted here)

Mrs. Briseno was born Oct 7, 1899, at Silao, Qot (Gto?), Mexico. When she was 19, the family moved to El Paso, Texas, and came to Grand Island a year later. Mr. and Mrs. Briseno married in 1921 in Grand Island and have made their only home here. She belonged to St. Mary's Cathedral Parish and was affiliated with its Altar Society.

She is survived by her husband; four sons, Rudolph of Wayne, Mich., and Tom, John and Robert of Grand Island; five daughters, Juanita and Mary Ellen of Omaha, Basiliza of Washington, D.C., and Frances and Mrs. Tom Jensen of Grand Island; 16 grandchildren and one great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Sgt. Rosalio Briseno, Jr., who was killed in World War II; three infant children and three sisters.

Maria married Rosalio Briseno on 6 Aug 1921 in Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska. Rosalio was born on 4 Sep 1895; died in Feb 1980 in Hall County, Nebraska. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Grand Island (Nebraska) Independent July 1, 1948

Bodies of 5,374 Americans who lost their lives during World War II are being returned to the United States aboard the Transport Lawrence Victory, the army announced today. Forty-seven bodies on board the transport are destined for Nebraska. Of this total, two are being brought to Grand Island and four others to central Nebraska. Armed forces dead originally interred in temporary cemeteries in France, Luxumbourg and the United Kingdom are among those being returned to this country.

Bodies destined to Grand Island are those of Sgt. Rosalio Briseno, son of Rosalio Briseno, 614 East Third, and Capt. Wayne G. Schomburg. Capt. Schomburg's next of kin is Louis Schomburg, 524 West Koenig.

(Copied from FindAGrave, Memorial ID 86819192)

Tomas married Melvarae Djernes on 5 Nov 1951 in Wahoo, Saunders County, Nebraska. Melvarae was born on 19 Dec 1926 in Stuart, Holt County, Nebraska; died on 5 Apr 2007 in Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

OMAHA - Juanita Briseno, 95, of Omaha, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, at Josie Harper Hospice House in Omaha.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24, at St. Mary Cathedral in Grand Island with rosary beginning at 10 a.m.

Interment will be at the Grand Island Cemetery.

Juanita was born May 6, 1926, in Grand Island, the daughter of Rosalio and Maria (Aguilera) Briseno.

She graduated from Grand Island Senior High with the Class of 1945. She worked for Fairmont Creamery after graduation and then attended Grand Island School of Business. Juanita moved to Omaha and worked at several different office positions and eventually worked as the secretary to the president of Blue Cross/Blue Shield; retiring after 22 years of service.

Juanita enjoyed playing the stock market and shopping, especially shoes.

She is survived by her brothers, John (Lola) Briseno of Grand Island, Robert (Juanita) Briseno of Wood River; sisters, Josephine Jensen of Kearney and Mary (Lonnie) Dinneen of Omaha; also many nieces and nephews.

Juanita was preceded in death by her parents; sisters and brother-in-law, Rudy (Audrey) Briseno, Rosalio Briseno Jr., Thomas (Melva Rae) Briseno; sisters and a special brother-in-law, Sheila Briseno and Francis (Leonard) Gembica.

Bethany Funeral Home - www.bethanyfuneralhome.com.

Notes:

Mary was born on January 8, 1942 in Grand Island, Nebraska to Rosalio and Maria Briseno, the 12th of 13 children. Mary was raised in a devout Catholic family; attended Catholic grade school and was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral parish in Grand Island. She enjoyed being part of a large family and was close to her siblings. She received her teaching degree from the College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. Upon graduating she became a grade school teacher and taught in Del Rio, Texas before returning to Omaha to continue teaching.

A few years after returning to Omaha she met the love of her life, Lonnie, at a party for young Catholic Adults. They got engaged 6 months later and were married on August 9, 1969, at St. John's Catholic Church on Creighton's campus. Mary became a full-time homemaker with the birth of their daughters, Shawn, Joy, and Alicia. They moved around for several years before settling in Omaha in 1976 and became members of St. Gerald's Parish.

Motherhood, Catholicism, and the sanctity of marriage remained the central focus of her life. Mary and Lonnie became a Marriage Encounter presenting couple and gave hundreds of weekend retreats over a span of thirty-seven years. Mary taught her daughters to be good Christians through her example of serving the church and community. She also taught them how to cook, sew and give presentations. The family enjoyed camping and traveling throughout the United States, visiting many national parks and monuments, and also took frequent trips to visit Mary's family in Grand Island.

Mary returned to school to earn a Master of Science degree in Counseling from Creighton University (1990), and reentered the workforce full-time to serve as a licensed mental health and drug and alcohol counselor. Mary worked for Catholic Charities, Operation Bridge, and eventually, Lutheran Family Services. She became an advocate for the Spanish speaking who required her bilingual counseling services, with some clients driving 60 miles to see her. Mary served as a lector and Eucharistic minister for many years and helped to begin a bible study. She also supported Lonnie in his endeavor to become a Deacon of the Catholic Church, a sacrament they were called to as a couple in 1989. In 2012, Lonnie and Mary opened a private counseling practice that they owned for 12 years. She retired from counseling in 2020.

Mary and Lonnie enjoyed celebrating their marriage and had several memorable anniversary parties. She cherished spending time with her family and taking trips with Lonnie to visit friends, their daughter in Portland, or to vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Her favorite pastime was shopping, but she loved watching the College World Series, television crime dramas, and the news; visiting with friends at book club, prayer club or Bunco; she enjoyed puzzles and she played a cutthroat game of UNO and Sequence.

Her ultimate goal was to live a life that would earn her admission into Heaven. Mary passed peacefully on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Lonnie Dinneen, her three daughters and their husbands, and nine grandchildren. Shawn (Mike)
Reynolds (Jenna, Katie, Lainey, and Henry), Joy (Chris) Trimble (Brayden and Kylie), and Alicia (Jason) Julian (Ella, Olivia, and Cora).

Rest in Peace Mary! God Bless You! We love you!

(Bethany Funeral Home, Courtesy of Dennis Belohlavy)

Mary married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Frances was born to Rosalio and Maria (Aguilera) Briseno in Grand Island. She graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1965. She did volunteer work and served as an interpreter for the Grand Island and Hall County Health Department, Third City Community Clinic, Crisis Center and Family Violence Coalition. She also served on the Mayor's Task Force as a liaison for the Hispanic community. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral.

Survived by two brothers, John Briseno of Grand Island and Robert Briseno of Wood River; four sisters, Juanita Briseno of Omaha, Sheila Briseno of Grand Island, Josie Briseno Jensen of Kearney and Mary Briseno Dinneen of Omaha. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Rudy, Rosalio Jr. and Thomas.

Family/Spouse: Leonard Gembica. Leonard was born on 27 Oct 1927 in Nebraska; died on 25 Dec 1993 in Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]