Dianna Fern (Tofflemoyer) Clegg

DiAnna Fern Tofflemoyer passed away Sunday evening, August 30, 2020 at her residence at Wray, CO.

DiAnna was born October 6, 1934 at Wray, Colorado to Earl Marlow Tofflemoyer and Vella Vernal Dorrance.

DiAnna attended her elementary school years at various country schools.  She would often talk about her and her brother, Marlow, riding horseback to school.

The rest of her education continued in Wray, CO at the town schools. She graduated from Wray High School.  During high school she worked for Dean Henry (Rexall Drug) and the old Rainbow Café waitressing.  She was a very determined individual, if anyone said she couldn’t do that, she said “oh yes I can”.  She was very involved in various school activities.  She was a member of the Wray Methodist Church and was active in Rainbow Girls.

When she was 6 years old, she contracted polio.  She spent a year in Denver, CO for treatment at Children’s Hospital.  She would often talk about the trips after confinement that she and her dad took for checkups on the train.  Her mother was unable to go with them because she was terribly sick.  In 1957, Dianna became ill from two medications she was taking for an infection and had an allergic reaction to the medicine.  She was hospitalized at the Wray Hospital and a few days later taken to St. Josephs in Denver for treatment.  She was in the hospital for 3 months and when discharged spent 3 months with her parents in Arvada.  During this time, her young children were dispersed with various relatives in the Haigler, NE area.  During this illness, she developed blisters inside and outside of her body the size of golf balls, she lost her hair and was blind for 10 days.  The doctors at St. Joseph said they never saw anything like it.  With good care though she survived it and bounced back, ever a fighter.  In 2015, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer and survived that also.

On June 6, 1952 she was united in marriage to David Joe Bush from Haigler, Nebraska.  From that union, came 4 children, Ed, Rick, Pati and Alan.  They lived on the family farm outside of Haigler for many years.  DiAnna was very involved in assisting her husband in the family farm, children’s activities, and being involved in her church (Haigler Methodist Church).  She had several hobbies, gardening, interior decorating, cake decorating, and floral arrangements.  This did turn into a business for her.  She was in demand for her cakes and floral arrangements for funerals, weddings, and other events.  For several years, she had a small gift and floral shop in Haigler.  She also worked for the co-op for several years.  During her marriage to Dave, she was chosen as “Outstanding Rancher’s Wife”.

In the early 80’s, she moved to Loveland, Colorado and opened a shoe store in the Orchard Shopping Center calling it Orchard Shoes.  She did well, but dealing with the general public wore on her and decided to move back to Haigler, NE.  In 1983, she married Neal Clegg and took up farming again.  For several years she raised pigs.  In harsh winters it was nothing to see newborn piglets in a basket in her kitchen to keep them from freezing.  Later on, she went back to farming again.  After Neal passed away, she was asked to replace him on the Ditch Board (first woman ever) and served on that until her retirement from farming in 2013.  She moved to Wray and resided there from 2013 until her death.

Preceding her in death were her parents (Earl and Vella Tofflemoyer), her husband (Neal), 2 brothers (Tom and Marlow Tofflemoyer), her daughter (Pati Clark).

Those left to mourn are: 3 sons (Ed Bush of Denver, CO, Rick Bush of North Platte, NE,  and Alan Bush (Deb) of Haigler, NE;  1 sister Karen Kelly (Steve); 1 brother Michael Tofflemoyer of Denver, CO;  6 grandchildren; Misty Nickerson of Loveland, CO; Russell Bush of Haigler, NE;  Brian (Korrie)Bush of Haigler, NE, Tyler Bush of North Platte, NE;  Rachel Clark of San Diego, CA; Naomi (Quentin)Kliethermes of  Dallas, TX;  7 great-grandchildren, Jaden of Calloway, NE, Beau, Ryan, Kolton, Dawson of Haigler, NE;  Garrett of Loveland, CO, Wyatt of McCook, NE;  5 nieces and  3 nephews;  Wendy Gish (Mike) of Pueblo, CO; Tracy Hartle (Scott)of Cortez, CO;  Tina, Stephanie, Natalie, Justin and Travis Tofflemoyer of Cleburne, TX and  Lt. Col. Troy Tofflemeyer of North Carolina and Melissa Tofflemoyer of California;  many great nephews and nieces and several great-great nephews and nieces and a number of cousins.

Funeral services were at Schmidt-Jones Mortuary, Saturday, the 5 ^th of September, 2020 at 10:00 A.M.   Interment followed the funeral at Haigler Cemetery at Haigler, Nebraska. Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.