Denise Cerv-Mahoney 1950 - 2014
(June 3, 1951 - January 11, 2014)
A Funeral Mass for Denise will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Exeter. Father Tom Kuffel will officiate the Mass.
Visitation for Denise will be held on Monday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday at St. Stephen's Catholic Church.
Burial will follow the Funeral Mass in the Exeter Cemetery. Memorials are directed to the family to be designated at a later date.
Denise Ann Cerv Mahoney was born to Robert Henry Cerv Sr. and Phyllis Sithay Ann Pelton Cerv on June 3, 1951, at Lincoln, NE, and passed away January 11, 2014, at home in Exeter, NE at the age of 62 years, 7 months, and 8 days. She was one of 10 children in the family.
Denise was born in Lincoln, NE and lived there until she was 7 when her family moved Kansas City, MO. When she was 12 years old her father retired from professional baseball and two years later he took a job teaching and coaching at John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, NE. So when she was 14 she moved to Wahoo with her family and then attended Bishop Neumann Central High School and graduated from there in May of 1969. She then attended John F. Kennedy College where she majored in Elementary Education and met a young man from Williston Park, Long Island, New York. She graduated from John F. Kennedy College in May of 1972 and got married in June of 1972. Then both her and her husband went to Georgia to start their teaching careers and eventually made their way to Exeter, NE where they have made their home for the last 39 years. Denise spent 29 of those years teaching at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in York, NE where she touched many lives and was honored as Educator of the Year in 2012-2013 by the York News Times.
Denise was married to Robert J. Mahoney of Williston Park, New York, on June 17, 1972 and to them 2 children were born.
Denise was a member of St. Stephens Catholic Church in Exeter, NE and throughout the years was very active in the Altar Society as well as a CCD teacher and a CYO teacher for many years. Her faith was extremely important to her and she found a way to live it every day of her life through her ability to love, laugh, and forgive. The most important people in her life were her family and friends and she made sure that they knew how much she loved them every day of their lives.
Denise was preceded in death by her mother Phyllis Cerv of Lincoln, NE, her maternal grandparents Chester Pelton and Pearl Pelton, her paternal grandparents Henry Cerv and Henrietta Cerv.
She is survived by her husband Robert J Mahoney Exeter, NE, her daughters Lisa Mahoney, Lincoln, NE, Brie Mahoney, Lincoln, NE, Sisters- Sithay Cerv, Fremont, NE, Sandy Harrington, Lincoln, NE, Karen Chambers, Oceanside, CA, Phyllis Willis, Baeshor, KS, Dawn (Todd) Ericson, Hawarden, IA, and Melissa (Randy) Lock, Blair, NE, Brothers – Robert H. (Mary) Cerv Jr., Alliance, NE, Joseph (Mary) Cerv, Overland Park, KS, and John (Maggie) Cerv, Gladstone, MO. Many nieces and nephews and cherished friends.