Obituaries from February 2002

Earl R. Smith PALISADE -- Earl Raymond Smith, 91, died Thursday (Jan. 31, 2002) at Imperial Manor Nursing Home in Imperial. He was born on Dec. 24, 1910, to William and Laura (Henze) Smith. He attended Hopewell School in Hayes County. He graduated from Palisade High School in 1928...

Dorothea Mae Dodson MAYWOOD -- Dorothea Mae Dodson, 89, died Friday (Feb. 1, 2002) at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. She was born Jan. 6, 1913, in Frontier County to Robert and Mabel (Dyer) Loghry. She graduated from Nebraska School of Agriculture, Curtis, in 1930, and taught school in Red Willow County for a few years...

Charles L. Rogers COLBY, Kan. -- Charles L. Rogers, 67, died Thursday (January 31, 2002) at Citizens Medical Center in Colby, Kan. He was born Feb. 12, 1934, in St. Francis, to Jacob and Edna (Dale) Rogers. On Aug. 9, 1955, he married Emma Hafer in Atwood. He worked for Martin Tractor Company in Colby for 32 years...

Lenna 'Linnie' Ellen Donjon IMPERIAL -- Lenna "Linnie" Ellen Donjon, 92, died Friday (Feb. 1, 2002) at Prairie Vista Care Center in Holyoke, Colo. She was born Aug. 4, 1909, to Willis and Lora Mullanix in Putnam County, Mo. On Feb. 17, 1931, she married Louis Joseph Donjon in McCook. ...

Robert Charles Adams BENKELMAN -- Robert Charles Adams, 62, died Thursday (Jan. 31, 2002) at his home in Benkelman. He was born January 29, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Robert and Mary (Gibbons) Adams and grew up in the Philadelphia area. He served in the U.S. Navy...

Russel V. Vise BEAVER CITY -- Russel Vise, 94, died Monday (Feb. 4, 2002) at Beaver City Manor in Beaver City. He was born Nov. 9, 1907, to Samuel Lewis and Nancy Ann (Jones) Wise in Wilsonville. He went to country school. On Feb. 19, 1930, he married Helen Wiggens. He farmed south of Cambridge before moving to Cambridge in 1991. He moved to the Beaver City Manor in January...

Harley Jones CAMBRIDGE -- Harley Jones, 80, died Monday (Feb. 4, 2002) at his home in Cambridge. He was born Nov. 22, 1921, to Arthur and Garnett (Moore) Jones in Weeping Water. He moved to the Cambridge area in 1941. On September 6, 1943, he married Marjorie Campbell...

Wilmer E. 'Will' Teel ASHLAND, Ky. -- Wilmer E. "Will" Teel, 58, died Tuesday (Jan. 22, 2002) at his home in Ashland, Ky. He was born May 20, 1943, to Earl F. and Clara (Hakel) Teel in McCook. He graduated from McCook High School in 1961. He attended McCook Junior College and graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln...

Karen LeAnn (Foster) Hoffman OMAHA -- Karen LeAnn (Foster) Hoffman, 50, died Monday (Jan. 28, 2002) at her home in Omaha. She was born Jan. 9, 1952, to Valgene and Maxine (Stover) Foster at McCook. She grew up in the Max, Benkelman, Wauneta and Rising City communities and graduated from Rising City High School in 1970...

Doris L. Huber COLBY, Kans. -- Doris L. Huber, 85, died Monday (Feb. 4, 2002) at Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colo. She was born Feb. 23, 1916, to Henry and Etta (Leefers) Tecklenburg at Fairbury. She later moved to the Rexford and Selden area in Kansas...

James Anthony Farrell RANCHO BERNADO, Calif. -- James Anthony Farrell, 75, died Sunday (Jan. 27, 2002) at the Pomerado Hospital in Poway, Calif. He was born July 21, 1926, to Frank and Genevieve Farrell. He grew up on a farm near Lebanon where he attended grade school before later moving to Palisade. He graduated from Palisade High School in 1945. He then attended Regis College in Denver, Colo. and Fordham University in New York...

Ernestine M. Larson McDONALD, Kan. -- Ernestine M. Larson, 72, died Wednesday (Feb. 6, 2002) at St. Catherine's Hospital in Garden City, Kan. She was born on May 23, 1929, to Ernest and Fadelma (Conley) Butts in LaCygne, Kan. She attended Pittsburg State Teachers College...

PALISADE -- Jessie Emma Crampton, 100, died Friday (February 8, 2002) at Community Hospital in McCook. She was born July 24, 1901, in a sod house south of Wauneta, to Melton and Emma Wisdom Crosson. She attended rural school in Dundy County. On April 17, 1918, she married Guy F. Petsch. They farmed south of Wauneta until Guy 's death. She moved to the Palisade area in 1938. On June 13, 1940, she married Wesley Crampton...

MAYWOOD -- Delbert L. Oswalt, 68, died Saturday (Feb. 9, 2002) at his home in Maywood. He was born Dec. 12, 1933, at White to Floyd and Grace Mae (Palmer) Oswalt. On Dec. 20, 1952, he married Helen May Leininger at Cour d'lene, Idaho. He entered the Army April 28, 1953, and served until March 17, 1955. Following his discharge from the service, the family lived in Kennewick and Finley, Wash. before moving to Maywood in 1995. He worked as a general contractor...

OBERLIN -- Paige L. Dutt, 63, died Thursday (Feb. 7, 2002) at Decatur County Hospital in Oberlin. He was born Dec. 30, 1938, to Charles Nathan and Elsie Clair (Brown) Dutt in Concordia, Kan. He joined the U. S. Army on March 21, 1961, and was honorably discharged on March 20, 1963. He then entered into the restaurant business as a cook, manager and owner. He was preceded in death by his parents...

ATWOOD -- Marie Margaret (Stash) Green, 76, died Friday (Feb. 8, 2002) at the Good Samaritan Center in Atwood. She was born June 2, 1925, to Martin and Mary (Bilsky) Stash in Carbondale, Pa. She grew up in Carbondale where she graduated from high school before moving to Bridgeport, Conn., where she worked as a telephone operator...

CAMBRIDGE -- Henry Noel Blake, 93, died Saturday (Feb. 9, 2002) at the Cambridge Manor in Cambridge. He was born Sept. 22, 1908, to Edward and Nancy (Warner) Blake near Stockville. He attended Stockville High School and Grand Island Business College...

Margaret Ann "Peggy" Castle, 62, died Tuesday (Feb. 5, 2002) at Regional Medical Center in Sterling, Colo. She was born August 27, 1939, to Ira and Ann Castle in Indianola. In January of 1960 she married Gerold Fisher. She then married Charles David Ortiz in McCook . She later married Jhon Mattenklodt in Flemming, Colo...

HOLDREGE -- LaVada Harriette Havens, 80, died Friday (Feb. 8, 2002) at the Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege following a brief illness. She was born Feb. 24, 1921, in Minden, to Arthur and Mabel (Schneider) Pitts. She graduated from Minden High School and taught in rural schools until joining the Women's Army Corp in 1942...

TRENTON -- The Rev. Peter D. Todd, 72, died Friday (Feb. 8,2002) at his home in Trenton. He was born April 18, 1929 at Bristol, England to Miss Elsie Mae Cross. He was raised in Dunfermline, Scotland until the age of 15 when he joined the Royal Navy as a boy seaman. ...

ATWOOD -- Frank A. Vrbas, 90, died Monday (Feb. 11, 2002) at Omaha. He was a former resident of Rawlins County as well as Stratton. A Mass of Christian burial will be Friday, 10:30 a.m., at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in rural Atwood with the Rev. Beryl Gibson officiating. Interment will be in the St. John's cemetery near Beardsley, Kan. A parish vigil and rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday at the church...

NORTH PLATTE -- Hester D. Young, 88, died Saturday (Feb. 9, 2002) at Kenesaw. She was born Aug. 17, 1913, in Moorefield, to John and Sarah (Flanagan) Carlson. She grew up in the Moorefield area and graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1934. She married Spencer Young in 1938. They lived in various states while he was in the military and moved to North Platte following his discharge. She worked as a waitress...

ORLEANS -- Wayne L. Larison, 79, died Sunday (Feb. 10, 2002) at Harlan County Hospital at Alma. He was born June 8, 1922 at Orleans to James and Ethel (Russell) Larison. He was a lifelong resident of Orleans. On July 19, 1952, he married Maxine Shearer at Phillipsburg, Kan. He worked for Harlan County Road & Bridge Department for many years as well as farming southwest of Orleans...

BEAVER CITY -- Mary Jo Dutton, 55, died Saturday (Feb. 9, 2002) at the University Hospital in Omaha. She was born Oct. 28, 1946, in Lincoln, to Eugene and Eileen (Hayes) Messersmith. She graduated from Cambridge High School in 1965 and later attended Lincoln School of Commerce...

Pauline D. Patterson, 75, died Tuesday (Feb. 12, 2002) at her home in McCook. She was born Nov. 10, 1926, to Charley and Ella (Neben) Dittmar in Oconto where she received her education and later earned her General Equivalency Diploma from McCook High School...

CULBERTSON -- Jack L. Wagner, 70, died Tuesday (Feb. 12, 2002) at his home at Culbertson. He was born March 8, 1931, to Jacob W. and Elizabeth (Schlager) Wagner at Culbertson. He graduated from Culbertson High School in 1948 and went on to attend the University of Nebraska School of Agriculture where he graduated in 1950. On Jan. 30, 1952, he entered the U. S. Army and served in the Signal Corp during the Korean Conflict...

BENKELMAN -- Doyle D. Criger, 59, died Tuesday (Feb.12, 2002) at Benkelman. He was born July 12, 1942, to George Lester and Edna Leila (Sylvia) Criger at Parks, Nebraska.  He attended school in Parks and graduated from Parks High School in 1960. On Dec. 20, 1964, he married Arlene G. Edwards in Benkelman. They made Benkelman their home...

CAMBRIDGE -- Alva O. Max, 70, died Tuesday (Feb. 12, 2002) at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. He was born on Aug. 9, 1931, to Jacob and Carrie (Lawson) Max near Orafino in Frontier County. He served in the U. S. Army from 1952 to 1954. On May 17, 1959, he married Carol Ruppert in McCook. The couple made their home in the Orafino and Stockville area. He was a farmer, a seed dealer for DeKalb for 25 years, and a field rep for Midwest Livestock of McCook...

BELLA VISTA, Ark. -- Eugene Vearl League, 84, died Friday (Feb. 8, 2002) at his home in Bella Vista, Ark. He was born March 7, 1918, to Ray Edwin and Anna League in Haigler. He graduated from Stratton High School. He graduated from Colorado Springs Bible College and from the Aviation Institute of Denver in 1940. He was ordained in the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1940 and by the Independent Fundamental Churches of America in 1952...

Eleanor M. Horton ARAPAHOE -- Eleanor M. Horton, 91, died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center. She was born on Jan. 20, 1911, to Thomas and Amelea (Faholz) Penn in Wakita, Okla. In 1928, she married George Brown in Norton, Kan. They lived and farmed south of Arapahoe until 1946. She worked as a civil service employee with the Bureau of Reclamation in Arapahoe and Sargent...

Virginia S. Williams NATOMA, Kan. -- Virginia S. Williams, 64, died Monday (Feb. 18, 2002) at the Memorial Hospital in Abilene, Kan. She was born Oct. 25, 1937, to Wavy and Rowena (Crumpacker) Baker in McPherson, Kan. She graduated form Plainville High School in Plainville, Kan., and Sacramento City College in Sacramento, Calif...

CAMBRIDGE -- Ramona Elizabeth Schmidt, 71, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. She was born on Sept. 14, 1930, to Henry and Elizabeth (Kiel) Dinges in Lincoln. She graduated from McCook High School in 1948. On Aug. 10, 1951, she married Griff F. Schmidt at San Rafael, Calif. The couple made their home in Indianola. She was employed as a telephone operator and retired in the early 1980s. She served for many years as a volunteer at the McCook Humane Society...

BENKELMAN -- Lester E. Spears, 81, died Thursday (Feb. 14, 2002) at the Chase County Hospital in Imperial. He was born Nov. 10, 1920, in Rawlins County, Kan. to Sherman and Flossie (Hoover) Spears and was raised on a farm south of Stratton.  On Jan. ...

RATON, N.M. -- Timothy Griswold, 43, died Wednesday (Feb. 13, 2002) at Raton, N.M. He was born Dec. 20, 1958, to Robert and Sharon (Pleis) Griswold at Beatrice. He was a former employee of Southwest Implement of McCook and later worked as an industrial painter...

HARPER, Kan. -- Geraldine M. "Gerry" Brown, 76, formerly of McCook, died Sunday (Feb. 17, 2002) at Via Christi Medical Center, St. Francis Campus, in Wichita, Kan. She was born Jan. 7, 1924, to Maxwell and Hazel (Carey) Fryback in Butler County, Kan...

BENKELMAN -- Clinton Stewart Munn, 75, died Friday (Feb. 15, 2002) at Gulf Pointe Plaza in Rockport, Texas. He was born December 3, 1926, to Lloyd and Blanche (Stewart) Munn on the family farm in Cheyenne County, Kan. He graduated from Bird City High School in 1944, and in October of that year, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was accepted for Naval Airman training.  He served for 18 months before receiving his discharge and returning to the family farm...

Esther Egle ENDERS -- Esther Egle died Tuesday (Feb. 19, 2002) at her home in Enders. She was born Nov. 24, 1916, to Clarence and Bertha (Herbert) Hahn. She spent her childhood in a farm near Hamlet. She graduated from Hamlet High School in 1933 and furthered her education at the Kearney State Normal School where she received her teaching certificate. She taught at the Star and Hamlet schools for three years...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Virginia Bright, 72, died Tuesday (Feb. 12, 2002) at her home in San Jose, Calif. She was born July 2, 1929, to J.W. and Teresa Sullivan in McCook. She graduated from McCook High School and worked in McCook for several years. In April 1951, she married Albert Bright and they moved to San Jose, Calif. where she worked for Hewlett Packard until she retired...

TRENTON -- Dixie Lee Dallam, 66, died Monday (Feb. 18, 2002) at Midland Hospital in Papillion. She was born Aug. 3, 1935, to Kenneth and Mildred (Warrick) Miller at Trenton where she graduated from Trenton High School in 1954. On Aug. 13, 1956, she married Jerry Dallam at Trenton and they spent their married lives farming north west of Trenton. She was a member of the Congregational Church of Christ, the Trenton V.F.W. Auxiliary, and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Moose Lodge at North Platte...

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Evelyn Davis Adams, 80, died Monday, Feb. 11, 2002, while vacationing in Mesa, Ariz. She was born July 5, 1921, to George and Christina Scheierman in Sutton. She was raised in Trenton and graduated from Trenton High School. On Oct. 21, 1934, she married Edward J. Davis. In 1981, she married Ethan Adams. She worked for Denver Public Schools as a secretary from 1954 until she retired in 1991...

BENKELMAN -- Edna N. Stamm, 84, died Wednesday (Feb. 20, 2002) at Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home in Benkelman. She was born June 16, 1917, to John and Fern (Atcheson) Stamm at Daniel, Wyo., and moved with her family throughout Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, California, and Colorado. She graduated from high school in Gunnison, Colo...

BEAVER CITY -- Fay Ann Shackleton, 92, died Thursday (Feb. 21, 2002) at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge. She was born June 20, 1909, to Ray and Josephine (Barnes) Smith at Reamsville, Kan. In 1920, the family moved to Almena, Kan. On Feb. 8, 1931, she married Howard Shackleton at Phillipsburg, Kan. The couple lived in Kansas, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. She worked at Wagner's Grocery Store in Arapahoe. In 1971, the family moved to Beaver City and she worked at Beaver City Manor...

ARAPAHOE -- V.A. "Sam" Cunningham, 87, died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at his home in Arapahoe. He was born March 3, 1914 to Alvin and Mary Elizabeth (Harter) Cunningham at Giltner. He attended country school near Giltner for four years until the family moved to Beaver City where he graduated with the class of 1931. He worked at the Beaver City Butter Factory and in 1934, he and a partner purchased the Cambridge Butter Factory...

PAWNEE CITY -- George William Wissler, 80, died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at the Pawnee Manor in Pawnee City. He was born May 19, 1921 to John and Wilhemenia (Korber) Wissler at the family home in Nemaha County, Kan. He was raised on a farm southwest of Dubois, Kan. and attended Prairie Grove School through 8th grade. He then helped his dad with farming, well drilling and threshing...

OBERLIN -- Mabel Elizabeth Humes, 92, died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at the Decatur County Good Samaritan Center in Oberlin. She was born April 13, 1909, to John H. and Katherine (Thiringer) Wolfram in rural Decatur County. She attended District 39 School...

IMPERIAL -- Eva LaDene Hudnall, 75, died Saturday (Feb. 23, 2002) at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in Hastings. She was born north of Wauneta to Walter S. and Laura M. (Fanning) Wheeler. She graduated from Wauneta High School in 1943. She then studied home economics at Bethany Nazarene College in Bethany, Okla...

CAMBRIDGE -- Sam Stroud, 81, died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at his home in Cambridge. He was born Oct. 6, 1920 in Fort Scott, Kan. to William McKinley and Edna (Mayfield) Stroud. He served in the U. S. Army during World War II. He served from Aug. 1942 to Oct. 1945, reaching the grade of technician 5th grade. He served in the North of France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe...

HOLBROOK -- Vera I. Stevens, 72, died Sunday (Feb. 24, 2002) at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. She was born Jan. 2, 1930 to Elmer and Nellie (Kidney) Hermle in Armour. On Sept. 18, 1948, she married Robert E. Stevens at Beatrice. The couple traveled throughout Kansas and Nebraska working in construction, and made their home in Columbus for a time. In 1986, following their retirement, they moved to Holbrook...

CAMBRIDGE -- Fred Henry Farr, 81, died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at the Cambridge Manor in Cambridge. He was born Oct. 20, 1020 to Fred and Frances Clara (Schieber) Farr in Frontier County where he attended country school. He worked on the family farm north of Cambridge...

INDIANOLA -- Jason K. Johnson, 26, died Saturday (Feb. 23, 2002) at his home in Indianola. He was born April 4, 1975, to Raymond Walter and Jacqueline Ann (Ferguson) Rust at Aberdeen, Wash. On July 25, 1996, he married Lisa Ann Goin in McCook. He was employed as a mechanic for Sure Tech Diagnostics in McCook. ...

Gladys L. Poindexter died Friday (Feb. 22, 2002) at the Ambassador Rehab Center in Lincoln due to complications from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). She was 84 years old. Gladys was born Jan. 9, 1918, at Dennis, Kan., to Francis and Nellie (Banta) Watson. She lived all of her childhood and attended school in southeast Kansas...

ATWOOD -- Helen Kathryn "Kathy" (Styles) Holle, 59, died Sunday (Feb. 24, 2002) at the Rawlins County Health Center in Atwood. She was born Nov. 13, 1942, to Olie F. and Helen Ethel (Nelson) Styles in Atwood. On March 29, 1964, she married Delos D. Holle at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Ludell. She was a homemaker...

WAUNETA -- Oscar Howard Gibbons, 93, died Sunday (Feb. 24, 2002) at Heritage of Wauneta Nursing Home. He was born Aug. 7, 1908, to Oscar and Emily Victoria (Willy) Gibbons at Earlham, Iowa. He grew up and attended school in Atlantic, Iowa until his junior year when the family moved near Howard, Kan. He graduated from high school there in 1926. After graduation, he followed the wheat harvest which led him to Hill City, Kan...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Bettie (Scott) Koch Bergling, 77, died Saturday (Feb. 23, 2002) at the Midland Hospice House in Topeka, Kan. She was born March 9, 1924, in Kinsley, Kan. to E.W. and Dora (Smith) Scott. She was a former resident of Atwood, moving to Topeka in 1998. She was a homemaker...

CURTIS -- Lena Maudie Fruit, 93, died Monday (Feb. 25, 2002) at Camellia Care Home in Aurora, Colo. She was born April 18, 1908, to Alvin Curtis and Jessie Viola Keyes Cowman at Maywood. She attended Maywood Schools. On Dec. 2, 1927, she married Charlie A. Fruit at North Platte. They moved to Curtis in 1961 where she was a cook at the Aggie Inn and later worked at Sunset Haven Nursing Home in Curtis before retiring in 1978...

Leona Adelia Lamb, age 106, of McCook, died Tuesday (Feb. 26, 2002) in Omaha at Silvercrest Assisted Living. She was born July 18, 1895, to William Calvin and Louisa Jane (McWilliams) Lowrey at Dunbar, Neb. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1914 and was graduated from Peru State College where she obtained a life-time teaching certificate. She taught for more than 11 years...