February 9, 2026 ~ January 21, 1930
Dorothy Jeannine Pethoud Bredemeier Kamen, 96, of Beatrice passed away peacefully on Monday, February 9, 2026, at the P.E.O. Home of Beatrice. She was born on January 21, 1930, at her parent’s home, five miles north of Beatrice, NE, Jeannine was the only child of Percy D. Pethoud and Frances Mildred Deputy Pethoud. She attended Sunday School and was baptized on April 21, 1946, at the First Christian Church in Beatrice, NE.
She attended rural school at Mount Olive District #11 for eight years, then came into the Beatrice High School system for the next four years, graduating in May, 1947. After graduation, she did secretarial work and billing for Beatrice Motor Freight Co.
On January 28, 1948, Jeannine married Ernest William Bredemeier. They made their first home on the Edwin Bredemeier farm, west of Steinauer, NE until 1951 when they moved to the Bredemeier home place, 2 ¼ miles west of Salem E & R Church. Soon after, Jeannine transferred her membership to Salem Evangelical and Reformed Church (now Salem UCC), west of Steinauer. Ernest and Jeannine had 3 daughters: Julie Frances, Ellen Louise, and Greta Jeannine.
Daily life revolved around her family, church, school, 4-H, and the farm. Jeannine was a Sunday School teacher, 4-H leader, chauffeur to dance/piano/voice/swimming lessons for ‘the girls’ as well as the runner to purchase parts if a piece of machinery needed repair. She loved being a farm wife, raising fresh garden produce to can/freeze for winter meals, teaching her daughters to cook and clean, preparing noon meals and afternoon lunches for the ‘hired man’and keeping farm records for their operation.
Jeannine also enjoyed using her creative skills to design a large built-in serving hutch of walnut from their farm for the family dining room. She assisted her parents with genealogy research to compile “The Pethoud Book” with the history of the first generations as they came from France and eventually homesteaded one of the first plots in Gage County Nebraska, where Jeannine was raised. She was an accomplished seamstress, regularly making Christmas and Easter dresses for their 3 daughters, and sometimes even herself. She took tailoring classes and sewed a perfectly-matched plaid wool suit for herself. Later, she created Ellen’s wedding dress in 1976, solely from a photo which Ellen brought home.
Jeannine’s life changed abruptly on September 1, 1976, when her husband Ernest was killed in a car-pickup accident near Virginia, NE. She and Ernest had been together for 28 years and she could not let go of their dream for Bredemeier Farms. Jeannine stayed on the farm, working out-ofdoors almost continuously to continue the farm operation. On February 24, 1979 Jeannine married Edmund C. Kamen of Burchard, NE. They worked together on each of their farms for 15 years. In December of 2000, Edmund and Jeannine moved to Burchard, NE. They farmed with Jeannine’s grandson, Tim Tegtmeier for several years, until Edmund retired. Edmund passed away Jan 26, 2005. While she continued living in their Burchard home, Jeannine was pleased to have Tim carry on with farm management and raise his family with Kim on Edmund’s home place.
In 2022, Jeannine chose to return to her Beatrice-area roots by moving into the P.E.O. Home in Beatrice, NE. She remained in good health and enjoyed her time living there. She received excellent care and was able to remain there through her final days here.
Survivors include Julie Tegtmeier of Burchard, NE, Ellen and Dr. Jeff Hollis of Geneva, NE, Greta and Hon. Mark Johnson of Norfolk, NE; grandchildren, Tim (Kim) Tegtmeier, Sherman (Sarah Jo) Tegtmeier, Grant (Heather) Hollis, Kari (Michael) Kuzma, Luke Hollis, Elizabeth Jeannine Johnson and Eli (Savannah Zastrow) Johnson; greatgrandchildren, Reyana (Brandon) Schoening, Larissa Tegtmeier, Tyler Tegtmeier, Emmett Tegtmeier, Frazier Tegtmeier, Emily Hollis, and Lydia Hollis. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Ernest Bredemeier, Edmund Kamen; her parents, Percy and Mildred Pethoud; and son-in-law Roger Tegtmeier.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 P.M. on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Salem United Church of Christ of Steinauer with Pastor Mike Row officiating. A family prayer service will be held at 1:15 P.M. on Monday at the church. Burial will be at the Salem United Church of Christ Cemetery of Steinauer. Visitation will be held at the Fox Funeral Home of Beatrice on Sunday, February 15, 2026, from noon until 8:00 P.M. with the family greeting relatives and friends from 3:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. Memorials are suggested to the family’s choice. www. foxfuneralhome.net Arrangements entrusted to Fox Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Beatrice.