Mrs. Ina May Rouse

Ina May Rouse passed away peacefully in Lincoln, NE on March 9, 2021 with her daughter by her side. Ina May was born on a farm in Humboldt, NE on May 20, 1927. She spent the majority of her adult life in Lincoln NE where she worked for the US Dept of Agriculture. Upon retirement she began many years of service volunteering to further the cause of women’s issues. She was an officer for the Nebraska Commission on Status of Women, and as lobbyist, she organized a statewide network to secure passage of displaced homemakers legislation. In 1984, she was the 7th local recipient to receive the national Alice Paul Award (a suffragette who was jailed and fought for the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920). In addition, she helped to create and was president for the Lincoln chapter of OWL (the Older Womens League), an educational group that helps women understand the economic circumstances of older women and was the local president......... She traveled frequently to Washington D.C. in her role on the O.W.L. national board of directors. She received several awards for her service from organizations such as the YWCA, Planned Parenthood, Commission on the Status of Women. In recognition of her service to the community the mayor’s office of City of Lincoln declared May 20, 2017 as Ina May Rouse Day.

Ina May was a long-time member of the congregation at First Plymouth Presbyterian church where she had served on their Women’s Board and enjoyed attending services there for many years. In addition to her volunteer work she enjoyed knitting, sewing, flower gardening, and travelling extensively with Alan.

Ina May was preceded in death by her parents Jesse and Gladys Phillips and her husband of fifty years S. Alan Rouse. She is survived by her sister Shirley Lucke of Lincoln NE, daughter Vicki Rollf and her husband Michael of Overland Park, KS, granddaughter Alicia Beal and great- grandchildren Kayla and Jay of Overland Park, KS, step-family from Omaha, NE: daughter Carol Rose, grandson Tomm Roland and his wife Lesley, and great-grandchildren Zachary and Amber.

Services will be held on Friday March 12 at 2:00 pm at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, 6800 S 14th St, Lincoln, NE 68512. Visitation will be one hour prior to service. The service will be livestreamed. Private family graveside. Memorials to donor’s choice. lincolnfh.com