Sam Wismer was the beloved wife and widow of Don Wismer; mother to Sean; sister to Erica; aunt to James, Mark, John, Cynthia, and Steve; stepmother to Becky, Barb, Jeff, and Ted; and a treasured friend to Nyna, Linda, Deb, Steve, and many others. Her life was held together not only by the places she lived or the work she did, but by the people she loved and the communities she built around her.

She was born Alma Ruth Matuza in Kaunas, Lithuania, the daughter of Martin and Adele Matuza. Her parents had both been orphaned and met in a Lutheran orphanage near the turn of the century. Though Alma was the name written on her birth certificate, she chose Sam for herself—and Sam was the name by which she lived, worked, laughed, and was loved.

Near the end of World War II, her father made the decision that the family would leave Lithuania, make their way across Europe, and eventually emigrate to the United States.

At one bridge crossing, Martin told his family that if German guards appeared, they would all jump from the bridge together rather than be captured. Sam was still a child.

The family also carried a grief that could never be repaired. Sam briefly had a baby brother, an infant son of Adele’s, who was killed when a German officer sat on him and then threw him from the train. It was one of the brutal losses that marked the family’s passage through the war.

For several years, Sam’s father was conscripted into the Russian army and assigned to work at a German prisoner-of-war camp. He later told stories of cold so severe that his pillow would freeze to his head during the night.

The family eventually crossed the Atlantic, arriving first in New Orleans before being sent to Omaha, Nebraska. Sam came to the United States as a teenager and began the difficult work of building a new life in a new country.

In Omaha, she attended high school and became active in athletics through the SOKOL hall. She was especially proud of playing on a volleyball team that defeated a much larger team from Chicago in a regional tournament. Competition suited her. So did the discipline, teamwork, and stubborn refusal to be underestimated.

She later moved to Lincoln and became the first generation of her family to attend college. She initially studied architecture before earning her degree in interior design, while also participating in modern dance on campus. The combination reflected much of who she was: practical and artistic, disciplined and expressive, grounded but never without imagination.

After college, Sam briefly worked for Brandeis in Omaha. Before long, however, she began working for herself as an interior decorator, building a career she would continue for several decades.

Near the end of her working life, she bartended for many years at the Tam O’Shanter. There she became known not only for her personality, but for her famously large and famously strong Long Island Iced Teas. Those who knew her from the Tam will likely remember both the drinks and the woman behind the bar.

Golf and bowling became important parts of Sam’s life and remained so for many years. The leagues gave her competition, laughter, routine, and friendship. They became communities in the truest sense, and she continued to speak with affection and gratitude about her bowling friends until her final days.

During her last weeks, Sam was not in pain. She was surrounded by family, friends, and people who cared deeply for her. After a life that had begun amid war and displacement, she was able to spend her final days in peace and in the presence of those who loved her.

Sam never forgot that when her first husband left and she turned to the state for help, the help she had been promised was not there. Near the end of her life, she remained frustrated by the broken promises and failures of the American healthcare system. Her concern was not merely for herself, but for everyone who has been asked to navigate illness while also fighting to be heard, protected, or supported.

At the same time, the nurses, support teams, and doctors at St. Elizabeth’s gave Sam extraordinary care. They were top-tier and top-notch to the end, treating her with skill, patience, dignity, and compassion. The system may have disappointed her, but the people who stood beside her did not.

Among Sam’s final lucid sentiments was a loving command to those she was leaving behind: make her proud. It was not a request for perfection. It was a call to be strong, to care for one another, to stand up when something is wrong, and to keep moving forward even when the path is difficult.

Mom passed away on July 17 from kidney failure associated with advanced breast cancer. She was at peace and surrounded by family and friends.

She will be remembered for a strength that seemed inexhaustible, for the love and support she gave so freely, and for the life she built from circumstances that might have defeated someone else. She survived war, crossed an ocean, educated herself, created a career, raised a family, formed lasting friendships, and found joy wherever she could. She inherited no easy life. She made one anyway.

A memorial celebrating Sam’s life will be held at Parkway Lanes on August 2 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Memorial donations gratefully accepted at:

Fundraiser by Sean Strough : Honoring Sam Wismer’s Legacy of Love and Strength

You can reach out to the family at: (402) 610-0195 or [email protected].

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