Private Family Services for Rachel Gutshall, age 78, of O'Neill will be held at Deer Creek Cemetery in rural Meadow Grove, Nebraska. Due to the current pandemic, no public services will be held. Rachel passed away on Monday, August 31, 2020 at her home in O'Neill. Memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels, the O'Neill Public Schools Foundation, or the First Presbyterian Church of O'Neill. Biglin's Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Rachel Elaine Wieting was born September 10, 1941 in Norfolk to John and Lucile (Thrasher) Wieting. She attended country school through the 8th grade, close to her family farm north of Meadow Grove, and graduated from high school at Meadow Grove in 1959.

Rachel met Stan Gutshall, from Norfolk, on a blind date, they married in 1960, and moved to Chicago where Rachel worked while Stan attended the Illinois College of Optometry. While in Chicago, their daughter Lynn was born in 1961, followed by Scott in 1962. After Stan's graduation, they returned to Nebraska, initially to Norfolk where David was born in 1964. The family moved to O'Neill in 1964 and Stan opened Gutshall Eyecare.

Rachel was a stay at home mom, and was very involved with her kid's activities, including 4H, cooking for Cleveland Bible Camp in the summers, and teaching Sunday School. She enjoyed Extension Club, and loved playing bridge and pitch. When her kids graduated, she began working at Gutshall Eyecare with Stan, and after he retired, continued working for the practice when Scott took over. She served in many capacities at First Presbyterian Church in O'Neill, including serving as a Deacon, Session member, and head of Presbyterian Women's Group. She was still the coordinator for Meals on Wheels, a role she held for many years. Rachel sang in the combined Presbyterian/Christ Lutheran Choir for many years, enjoying both the music as well as the camaraderie with the other members. Rachel served on the Board of the Golden Age Center in O'Neill and on the Board of the Area on Aging.

Rachel and Stan traveled to listen to local concerts and lectures in their later years, enjoying the different local cuisine and places to stay. They attended the Nebraska State Fair for many years, attending concerts and admiring the draft horses and dairy cows which reminded her of her childhood on the farm.

Rachel lived for her family, especially her grandchildren. "Gram" accumulated countless hours on bleachers at various ballgames, concerts, and track meets of her 8 grandkids. She was a sucker for a Diet Pepsi and a bag of OHS popcorn. Rachel loved good coffee, a good crossword puzzle, John Wayne movies, Elvis, and rock and roll music. She loved making a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and all of the fixings when the kids were home, serving chocolate milk or orange juice in stemmed glasses when her grandkids were young. "Rach" was known for her blingy glasses that matched her coordinated outfits, which always required big necklaces with matching earrings and of course, the right shoes. Rach had a loud, contagious laugh, and was always up for an adventure, traveling in the last few years with her kids and grandkids on various vacations. She drove everyone crazy by recycling the bows off of Christmas presents. Rachel wrote each of her grandchildren in college a letter each week, which they all looked forward to receiving, even if they had difficulty with her flamboyant cursive writing. If you were lucky enough to know Rachel, you knew exactly how she felt about most topics of conversation. She lived with her heart on her sleeve for all of those whom she loved.

Left to mourn her loss are her husband of 59 years Stan Gutshall of O'Neill; daughter, Lynn (Woody) Sobotka of Inman, and children Kyle Sobotka of O'Neill and Alyssa Sobotka of Worthington, Minnesota; son, Scott (Barbie) Gutshall, and their children, Jackson Gutshall of Wayne, Aurora Gutshall of Lincoln, and Blair Gutshall of O'Neill, as well as Shelby (Brock) Reynoldson, and great-grandchildren Raleigh and Emmett of Sioux Falls, SD, and son, David Gutshall and significant other, Laraine McKeown, of Norfolk and daughters Abby Gutshall of Iowa, and Jordan (Anthony) Juhlin of Omaha.

Rachel was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lucile Wieting; her brother, Roger; and sister in law, Sally Campbell.