Hilda Lechner was born on March 23, 1927 in Opol, Germany to Hedwig Weiser.  They lived in Rybnik, Poland and this is where she grew up and attended school.  When Hilda was 5 years old, her mom, Hedwig, married John Simon and he became Hilda's "Pop".  As a child, she enjoyed going with her grandfather to pick wild blueberries and mushrooms in the woods.  Hilda made it through 5th grade before the War started, forcing her to work for the Germans.  A few years later, the family, again by force, was made to move to Aurich, Germany.

In Aurich, Hilda would go to the Army base where she would get food for her family from an American soldier that could speak Polish.  This soldier told her to go to Friesing, Germany where he would get her a job at the mess hall, slicing the bread for the American soldiers.  During this time, Hilda met another American soldier, Delbert Eugene Lechner.  For Delbert, it was love at first site.  The two seen each other every day for a six-month courtship.  The war ended and Hilda considered going back to Poland.  Delbert convinced her to stay and the two were married on October 12, 1946.

Moving back to the states in 1948, they first lived in Carthage, Missouri where Delbert served as an ROTC instructor.  They moved a few times because of Delbert's service before returning to Delbert's hometown of Harper, Kansas to make their home.  In 1949, Hilda's parents and brother had already moved to Harper.  The family had grown with the couple having two boys, Larry and Danny.  Then their daughter, Linda was born.  In addition to being a mother and a farmer's wife, Hilda cleaned businesses and houses in the area.  She then went to work as a custodian for SW Bell, before retiring after 20 years.  Delbert's family had a custom harvesting business and Hilda was the cook, delivering hot meals out of the trunk of her car.  Delbert passed away on March 13, 1984.

Hilda loved activities such as card games, dominos, and bingo.  If you visited her, you had to play a game.  She also enjoyed gardening, canning, crocheting, doing cross stitch, and taking care of her parents.  Hilda most of all loved her family very much.  She looked forward to her grandkids and great-grandkids coming over to visit.  When she moved to Eureka, Kansas in 1997, Hilda volunteered at the Greenwood County Hospital in Eureka as a pink lady.  Here she met several friends and formed a weekly card club.

At the age of 94, Hilda passed away at the Greenwood County Hospital on June 3, 2021 with family by her side.  She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Hedwig Simon; husband, Delbert; son, Larry Lee Lechner; brother, Edward Simon and his wife, Marilyn; and granddaughter, Suzanne Michelle Taggart.  Left to cherish her memories are her son, Dan Lechner and his wife, Deb of Wichita, Kansas; daughter, Linda Taggart and her husband, Tom of Eureka; grandchildren: Jamie Lechner-Crosby (Aaron), Danielle Lechner (Steven Eskew), Amanda Awan (Babar), Lori Watson (Justin), Lisa Arafat (Romeo), Michael Gill (Stacia), Joel Taggart, and Kyle Taggart; great-grandchildren: Corbin, Emma, Willow, Ryan, Chase, Brooklyn, Chloe, Zaara, Aleena, Zaman, Eesah, Aubrey, Zane, Tanner, Rachel, and Tyler; other relatives and many friends.

Visitation is 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Funeral Service is 2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 5, 2021 at Prairie Rose Funeral Home, Harper with Pastor Brenda Kostner-Johnson officiating.  Interment follows at the Harper Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Harper United Methodist Church or Greenwood County Hospital and can be sent in care of the funeral home.

Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, 613 W 14th St ~ Harper, Kansas  67058