Mildred "Esther" E. (Jones) Adams

Mildred “Esther” E. Adams, 90 of Loup City, NE died Monday, August 26, 2024 at Kearney Regional Medical Center in Kearney, NE. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 31, 2024 at the United Methodist Church in Loup City with Reverend Spenser Johnson officiating. Burial will follow at the Evergreen Cemetery in Loup City. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 30 at the church. Memorials are suggested to a Jenners Park Memorial, Loup City Girl Scout Troup or donor’s choice.

Mildred Esther Jones was born on March 21, 1934 at Branford, Florida, a small town in north Florida on the banks of the Suwannee River. The daughter of Oscar and Mildred (Johnson) Jones, she was the third of four children.

Esther grew up in Branford and graduated from Branford High School in 1952. Following high school, she attended Florida State University, graduating in 1956 with a degree in education.

After college, she volunteered for three years as a US-2 short-term missionary with the Methodist Church Board of Missions as a teacher at Vashti School in Thomasville, GA. Vashti was a girl’s boarding school created to educate girls in need.

When her service ended, she moved to Evanston, IL, to attend Garrett Seminary on the Northwestern University Campus where she majored in rural social work. After completing her master’s degree, she moved to central Nebraska, where she worked in a cooperating group of small Methodist churches for three years.

Her work supporting Sunday schools, women’s groups, and Christian education took her to churches in Comstock, Ord, Arcadia, Loup City, Ansley, Westerville, and Litchfield. It was at the Litchfield church on a cold winter Sunday morning that a young farmer saw this Southern Belle for the first time and fell in love. Eldon and Esther were engaged for a year, during which time she was again working in south Georgia. They were married on August 26, 1965 in Branford.

Esther was very active in her church. She taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School for years, served as an officer in local, district and conference positions for the United Methodist Women, sang in the church choir, helped coordinate Christmas programs, staffed the fair stand for the county fair every summer, and much more. She was also active in the Girl Scouts, serving as a local leader for over thirty years and serving on district committees.

Esther enjoyed singing hymns, playing the piano, and cooking for her family along with anyone else who showed up for supper. She felt a deep connection to her community, her church, and her family. This connection, along with her steadfast faith, made her ninety years on this earth full of happiness.

Esther is survived by her husband, Eldon of Loup City, NE; daughter, Jenifer Adams-Mitchell (husband, Mitch Mitchell) of Frankford, DE; foster daughters, Alice Glinsmann (husband, George Dubrowski) of Batesville, AR; Vicki Moats (husband, Paul Moats, deceased) of Clarksville, TN sister, Laura Ruth Miller (husband, Jeff Miller) of Kissimmee, FL; granddaughter, Rachael Green (husband, Sean Barnett of Oceanside, CA; grandson, Kade Green (fiancé, Kacie Markell) of Rural Hall, NC; great granddaughter, Kentley Green of Rural Hall, NC; son-in-law, Rodney Green (wife, Kris Cannon) of Grand Junction, CO. Esther was preceded in death by her daughter, Rebecca (Adams) Green; brother, Kenneth Jones and sister, Elizabeth (Jones) Nerenberg.