FORDYCE — Alburn “Al” Wiebelhaus, 89, Fordyce, died Dec. 9, 2025, at Accura Healthcare Center, Hartington.

Mass of Christian Burial was Dec. 15 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Fordyce, with the Rev. Jim Keiter officiating.

Burial was at the parish cemetery.

Pallbearers were grandsons, Samuel Snyder, Jordan Wilson, Zach Wilson, Joe Wiebelhaus, Chad Wiebelhaus and Clint Wiebelhaus. Honorary pallbearers were his granddaughters, Lauren Fenables, Savannah Graham, Amanda Curry, Hayley Monteferrante, Holly Baker, Chloe Smith, Hannah Cervi and Larissa Goodman.

Visitation and a vigil service were Sunday, at church and continued Monday, one hour prior to services.

Arrangements were under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington.

Alburn Albert Wiebelhaus was born on the family farm just northwest of Fordyce, Sept. 7, 1936, to Albert and Katherine (Juergens) Wiebelhaus. He attended grade school at St. John the Baptist School, Fordyce, followed by grades nine and ten at Fordyce High School. He completed his junior and senior years at Bishop Heelan High School, Sioux City, Iowa, and graduated in 1954. After working a summer job at the Gavin’s Point Dam Project, he became interested in construction work and hired on with Schulte Construction out of Newcastle. This began what would become his lifelong career in dirt work and road construction.

Al married Vivian Annette Lammers Jan. 28, 1958, and continued his work in road construction. Together they moved many times throughout Nebraska as he worked on the construction of I-80 across the state. He was also involved in highway jobs in Kansas, South Dakota and Colorado. During those early years they had five children. In 1968, they settled in Aurora, Colo., where they would stay for over 40 years and raise their family.

Al, an entrepreneur at heart, created the first mobile truck wash in the Denver area. While continuing to work construction during the day, he washed tractor trailers at night for companies such as Nabisco and Keebler. They sold their mobile wash company several years later and Al continued as a heavy equipment operator, specializing in blue top grading. In 1980, he and Vivian established their own earthmoving company, Wiebelhaus Contracting Inc. They successfully grew their small family business over the next 30 years and left a legacy of jobs well done across the front range of Colorado. In 2010, they retired “back home” on a farm northeast of Fordyce.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Vivian (Lammers) Wiebelhaus, and their children, Beth (Carl) Snyder, Olympia, Wash.; John (Sue) Wiebelhaus, Strasburg, Colo.; Julia (Allen) Smith, Hartington; Paul Wiebelhaus, Wagner, S.D.; and Anne (Dan) Wilson, Fordyce; 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Al was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Katherine; his sister, Phyllis (Pat) Kneifl; and his brothers, Charles and Donavon.