Friends and Neighbors: Kimball resident Minnie Lebruska has seen a lot in her 105 years

The 105 balloons did not fit in the small net suspended above the table where Minnie Lebruska, surrounded by family and friends, celebrated her 105th birthday on Wednesday, April 15.

Employees at the Kimball County Manor attempted to corral one balloon for each year Minnie has lived.

Although only a fraction of the balloons would fit in the net, they drifted down on a smiling Minnie as those in attendance sang "Happy Birthday" to her that afternoon.

For this milestone, Minnie shared the day with several other Kimball County Manor residents who have April birthdays. She was also joined by her daughter, Carolyn, her granddaughter, Robin, two great-granddaughters and four great-great-grandchildren.

Born in 1910 to farmers near Burwell, Minnie was one of eight children. She had three sisters and four brothers. One sister died in infancy, according to an interview with Minnie five years ago.

Minnie's family raised hogs and cattle as well as growing corn, alfalfa, oats and barley with two teams of horses that were also the family's transportation until about 1918.

In the earlier interview, Minnie said she helped on the farm by gathering eggs, stacking hay and occasionally driving a team.

"Sometimes I drove the team of horses too fast and the hay stack would be crooked," she said in that interview. "It might fall down and Dad didn't like that."

Minnie, like most pupils during that time, walked to the nearest country school for the number of years she attended.

Also like many young, rural folks at that time, she was not able to attend high school as she was needed on the farm.

At the age of 22, Minnie married Anton Lebruska, a Czech immigrant whom she met often at social events during their courtship.

Anton, who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 5, grew up on a farm near Comstock, and continued farming for others in Custer and Valley counties after their marriage.

Minnie and Anton built their life and raised their family through the Great Depression, the dust of the 'Dirty 30s' in the 1930s, World War II and the blizzard of 1949.

Minnie's firstborn, Helen, came in 1933 and was followed three years later by Robert. They were both born near Ord, in eastern Nebraska, according to Helen.

Minnie and Anton moved their young family to the panhandle of Nebraska in the early 1940s, Helen recalled. Their youngest, Carolyn, was born in 1944 in Mitchell.

The family moved to a ranch north of Dix in 1950, just shortly after the 1949 blizzard, and their final relocation was in 1955 to Kimball.

Anton worked for the State of Nebraska Department of Roads and as a caretaker at the local cemetery as well as in a lumber yard and at the creamery.

"Mother never had an outside job," Helen said.

Minnie did babysit and cleaned houses, as well as helping in the Methodist church nursery, according to the earlier interview.

Anton passed away in 1986. According to Helen, Minnie's only sibling left is her younger sister, Hattie.

Minnie has seen many people come and go, she has celebrated many milestones for herself and with others, and when the balloons cascaded down around her to commemorate 105 years, she smiled with delight at the friends and family surrounding her.