Orcena Annabelle Jurey

Orcena Annabelle Michelson was born on November 28, 1927, at the Clay Center Municipal Hospital in Clay Center, Kansas. She was the daughter of Anthony and Anna Georgina (Karlsson) Michelson. She was baptized on October 7, 1928, at her home in rural Clay County, Kansas. She died on April 15, 2026, at the Clay County Medical Center at the age of 98 years from complications from age-related conditions.

Orcena grew up on a 160-acre farm in Garfield Township located north of Clay Center. Her parents operated a diversified farm along with a purebred Holstein dairy herd. She and her parents lived there until 1952 when they moved to Clay Center.

Because her mother was an immigrant from Sweden, Orcena did not speak English until she started first grade in a one-room schoolhouse in Lincoln District #26. She later graduated as salutatorian from Clay Center High School in 1945. She graduated from North Park Junior College in Chicago in 1948, the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1950, and Medical Technology Training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City in 1951. She worked in medical laboratories in Topeka and Clay Center until 1955. In Clay Center, she was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week until someone else was trained.

As a child, Orcena attended the Third Street Methodist Church in Clay Center. Her parents then transferred their membership to the Garfield Center Mission Church which later was moved to Clay Center and became known as the Mission Covenant Church. Orcena met Kenneth William Jurey in May 1954 when they were both nominated as officers on the board of the Northern District Church Conference of the Covenant Church. She married Kenneth on September 25, 1955, at the Clay Center Mission Covenant Church with the Rev. Edgar Lindstrom officiating. After their marriage, they attended the Brantford Covenant Church north of Clifton and lived on the Jurey Homestead farm, also north of Clifton. After Kenneth’s parents died in 1971, they moved 1-1/4 miles to his parent’s farm in 1972. She resided there for the rest of her life.

Orcena was an accomplished pianist and organist and spent many years as church organist at the Brantford Covenant Church. She also played for numerous weddings and funerals in the area. She was active in Covenant Women and served the church wherever needed. She continued to live at home on the farm and drive until her death.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Anthony and Anna Michelson and her husband Kenneth. She is survived by her children Dwight and Cresenciana (Kris) Jurey and Coleen and Eldred Wenger; five grandchildren - Anna (Ian) Scherling, Nathan (Sara) Jurey, Caleb (Kate) Jurey, Brian (Jaci) Wenger, and Ellen Wenger; and eight great-grandchildren – Lucy and Ellis Scherling; Sadie and Mae Jurey; Brooklyn and Calvin Jurey; and Madison and Tatum Wenger.

Funeral services will be held at the Brantford Covenant Church on Saturday April 25, 2026, at 10:30am. A live stream of the service can be seen at www.facebook.com/nsrfuneralhome/videos. Burial will take place at the Rusco Cemetery north of Clifton, Kansas.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026, from 4pm-6pm at the Brantford Covenant Church.

Memorials can be made to the Brantford Covenant Church c/o the funeral home