Obituaries from October 2004

March 30, 1943-Sept. 30, 2004 EL RENO, Okla. -- Lyle D. Fikan, 61, died Thursday (Sept. 30, 2004) in El Reno, Okla. He was born March 30, 1943, to Reno Ray Fikan and Gladys Eileen (Kyte) Fikan in Atwood. He graduated from Atwood High School in 1961 and attended college at Fort Hays State College in Hays, Kan. He joined the Army in 1964 and served for over seven years, including a tour in the Vietnam War...

Nov. 6, 1907-Sept. 30, 2004 IMPERIAL -- Violet Nichols, 96, died Thursday (Sept. 30, 2004) at Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. She was born Nov. 6, 1907, to Ed and Stella (Rowley) Ellison in Wauneta. On Oct. 11, 1924, she married Fern Nichols of Wauneta. He died Sept. 25, 1974. She spent her life on a farm south of Wauneta being helping her husband. She later moved to Wauneta before moving to an assisted living facility in North Platte and Imperial...

May 23, 1909-Sept. 29, 2004 IMPERIAL -- Opal Lucille (Ireland) Eaton, 95, died Wednesday (Sept. 29, 2004) at Imperial Manor in Imperial. She was born May 23, 1909, to Robert L. and Delilah Susan (Sides) Ireland on her grandfather's farm near St. Elmo, Ill. The family moved to Colorado and homesteaded in 1911. She graduated from Julesburg High School in 1928...

Sept. 3, 1929-Oct. 2, 2004 PHILLIPSBURG, Kan. -- Darrell D. Beins, 75, died Saturday (Oct. 2, 2004) at Harlan County Hospital in Alma. He was born Sept. 3, 1929, to Lawrence and Yvonne (Bundy) Satter in Stamford. He was adopted by Gilbert Beins. He then lived with his grandparents, Guy and Florence Bundy. His mother later married Gilbert Beins, who in turn adopted him. He grew up on a farm south of Precept. He graduated from Almena High School in Almena, Kan., in 1949...

May 5, 1911-Sept. 30, 2004 CLINTON, Mo. -- Harriet Isabelle Hockman, 93, died Thursday (Sept. 30, 2004) at Golden Valley Hospital in Clinton, Mo. She was born May 5, 1911, to Charles Bert and Mary Ann (Downs) Masters in Red Willow County. She grew up in Red Willow County and attended Red Willow High school...

Dec. 30, 1918-Oct. 4, 2004 Bradley "Buck" Masters, 85, died Monday (Oct. 4, 2004) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 30, 1918, in McCook to Merle E. and Ruth D. (Daughtery) Masters. He graduated from Red Willow High School in 1936. On Dec. 18, 1941, he entered the US Air Force and served during World War II. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 27, 1945. He returned to the McCook community where he farmed all of his life...

April 6, 1920-Oct. 1, 2004 OBERLIN -- Elva E. Shaughnessy, 84, died Friday (Oct. 1, 2004) at Decatur County Good Samaritan Center in Oberlin. She was born April 6, 1920, to Charles and Hulda (Johnson) Duff in Bertrand. She was raised in Bertrand and attended school there...

Aug. 17, 1933-Oct. 2, 2004 Illene G. Asher, 71, died Saturday (Oct. 2, 2004) at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. She was born Aug. 17, 1933, to Clarence and Doris (Ratliff) Walker in Thornton. The family moved around several times during her childhood. She graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis...

Jan. 3, 1917-Oct. 3, 2004 WAUNETA -- Elwyn Leo Krausnick, 87, died Sunday (Oct. 3, 2004) at the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. He was born Jan. 3, 1917, to Fredrick W. and Edith M. (Johnson) Krausnick in Unity, Saskatchewan, Canada. At the age of four, he moved with his mother and brother, Keith, to Blessing, Texas. ...

CURTIS -- Grace Evelyn Lenz, 93, died Sunday (Oct. 3, 2004) at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. Services are Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., at St. John's Lutheran Church in Curtis with the Rev. Paul Warneke officiating. Interment is in Moorfield Cemetery...

Aug. 10, 1939-Oct. 4, 2004 NORTH PLATTE -- Willis E. Dodson, 65, died Monday (Oct. 4, 2004) at the Premier Estates Care Facility in North Platte. He was born Aug. 10, 1939, to Leland and Esther (Dold) Dodson in Maywood. He grew up in Maywood and graduated from Maywood High School in 1958...

Sept. 6, 1938-Sept. 30, 2004 EATON, Colo. -- Robert Wayne "Bobbie" Wurm, 66, died Thursday (Sept. 30, 2004) at his home in Eaton, Colo. He was born Sept. 6, 1938, to Ewald John and Iris Vera (Fourtner) Wurm in Oberlin. He attended school in Oberlin and graduated in 1957...

March 2, 1925-Oct. 1, 2004 APPLE VALLEY, Calif. -- Velda D. Schandler, 79, died Friday (Oct. 1, 2004) at her home in Apple Valley, Calif. She was born March 2, 1925, in Victorville, Calif. Her parents were Loren Daniels and Maude Dewese McAmis. She and her late husband, Marlin, were owners and operators of the former Schandler Funeral Home in Atwood and a furniture store...

July 2, 1922-Oct. 4, 2004 ATWOOD -- Dr. Harold Graden Easterday, 82, died Monday (Oct. 4, 2004) at Rawlins County Health Center in Atwood. He was born July 2, 1922, in Abilene, Kan. He graduated of Washburn High School in 1940 and graduated from Kansas State Veterinarian School in 1952...

Sept. 27, 1909-Oct. 6, 2004 LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Anna M. Patterson, 95, died Wednesday (Oct. 6, 2004) at Lakeview Manor in Lawrence, Kan. She was born Sept. 27, 1909, to Frank and Mary (Klasiner) Eiznhamer in Chicago, Ill. She married Thomas R. Patterson. The couple divorced in 1954. He preceded her in death in 1976...

Jan. 27, 1924-Oct. 6, 2004 SCOTTSBLUFF -- Donald Francis Colling Sr., 80, died Wednesday (Oct. 6, 2004) at Beverly Health Care in Scottsbluff. He was born January 27, 1924, to Louis and Susie (O'Dea) Colling in McCook. He graduated from Red Willow Schools...

Nov. 25, 1916-Oct. 7, 2004 INDIANOLA -- Elizabeth "Betty" Deffer Krous, 87, of Indianola died Thursday (Oct. 7, 2004) at Bryan LGH East Hospital in Lincoln. She was born Nov. 25, 1916 in Indianola to Frank and Hazel (Phillips) Deffer. She graduated valedictorian from Indianola High School in 1933, from McCook Junior College in 1935 and attended classes at the University of Nebraska...

Oct. 2, 1920-Oct. 7, 2004 Albert G. Harder, 84, died Oct. 7, 2004 at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. He was born Oct. 2, 1920, in Denver, Colo., to George J. and Emma (Honstien) Harder. He attended several schools in Colorado and Nebraska. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1938 and attended Grand Island School of Business. He was employed by the CB&Q Railroad and Burlington Northern Railroad for almost 47 years. He retired as a conductor in August of 1985...

April 23, 1926-Oct. 6, 2004 ECKERTY, Ind. -- Herbert Newton, 78, died Wednesday (Oct. 6, 2004) as an result of an auto accident. He was born April 23, 1926, to Scott and Sophia (Jones) Newton in Crawford County, Ind. On Oct. 17, 1946, he married Betty Jean Esch at St. John's Lutheran Church southeast of McCook. They farmed until 1970, when they moved to Eckerty, Ind., where they spent the remainder of their lives...

Feb. 19, 1921-Oct. 9, 2004 CURTIS -- Richard Elbert Hammond, 83, died Saturday (Oct. 9, 2004) at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte. He was born Feb. 19, 1921, to Merlen Wright and Hazel Davis Hammond in Lincoln County, north of Moorefield. He grew up on a ranch and he graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture in 1940...

Feb. 14, 1936-Oct. 7, 2004 CAMBRIDGE -- Wilford V. "Bill" Brown, 68, died Thursday (Oct. 7, 2004) at his home in Cambridge. He was born Feb. 14, 1936, to Thomas and Anna (Kaveny) Brown in Cambridge. He attended school in Cambridge and graduated from the high school in 1954. He attended the University of Nebraska, Doane College and Wayne State College, where he received his degree in business education. He played football while at the UNL and Doane...

July 19, 1920-Oct. 11, 2004 ARAPAHOE -- Leo B. Schievelbein, 84, died Monday (Oct. 11, 2004) at his home in Arapahoe. He was born July 19, 1920, to Wilhelm and Emma (Sydow) Schievelbein in Gosper County. He attended school at the Immanuel Parochial School...

Feb. 4, 1923-Oct. 2, 2004 Myrom Lowe "Hap" Potter died Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004, at the age of 81. He was born in Montgomery, Pa., on Feb. 4, 1923, to Effie and Dr. Charles Potter, both educators. He graduated from Jersey Shore, Pa., High School in 1940 and in December 1942 he joined the Army Air Corps while a junior at Bucknell University...

March 4, 1949-Oct. 10, 2004 ARAPAHOE -- Roy Charles Esslinger, 55, died Sunday (Oct. 10, 2004) at his home in Arapahoe. He was born March 4, 1949, to Edwin and Renatta (Meister) Esslinger in Oxford. He grew up on a farm north of Arapahoe in Gosper County and attended Immanuel Parochial School. He then went to Arapahoe High School and graduated in 1967. He then attended Hastings Tech School...

Jan. 18, 1949-Sept. 6, 2004 George E. Cornwell, Jr., 55, died Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, in La Vista from complications of diabetes. He was born Jan. 18, 1949, in Cass Lake, Minn. He and his wife, Sue, moved to Indianola from Omaha in June of 1973, when they bought the Rocket Inn. ...

Sept. 22, 1952-Oct. 12, 2004 WILSONVILLE -- Dennis Kasson, 52, died Tuesday (Oct. 12, 2004) at the Via Christi St. Francis Burn Center in Wichita, Kan. He was born Sept. 22, 1952, to Curtis and Evelyn "Bobbie" (Meyers) Kasson in Norton, Kan. He grew up Southeast of Wilsonville on the family farm. He went to school in Wilsonville and graduated from high school in 1970...

Jan. 1, 1943-Oct. 13, 2004 TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. -- Andrew John "Andy" Esposito, 61, died Wednesday (Oct. 13, 2004) at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Fla. He was born Jan. 1, 1943, to Andrew and Mary (Celli) Esposito in Bronx, N.Y...

Feb. 25, 1927-Oct. 18, 2004 BREWSTER, Kan. -- Ruth Marie Briney, 77, died Monday (Oct. 18, 2004) at Citizen Medical Center in Colby, Kan. She was born Feb. 25, 1927, to Ward A. Marshall and Bertha (Smith) Marshall in Clay Center, Kan. She graduate from Salina High School, Stephen's College in Columbia, Mo., and attended Kansas State University...

Nov. 1, 1929-Oct. 15, 2004 HERNDON -- Raymond Virgil Wahrman, 74, died Friday (Oct. 15, 2004) at his home in Herndon. He was born Nov. 1, 1929, to Joe and Mary (Brown) Wahrman in Herndon. He was a farmer in Red Willow County and Rawlins County. He was a member of the St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church and St. Patrick's Catholic Church in McCook...

Dec. 27, 1910-Oct. 22, 2004 Frances M. "Fritz" Hormel, 93, died Friday (Oct. 22, 2004) at Community Hospital of McCook. She was born Dec. 27, 1910, at Trenton, to Charles H. and Willa (Benjamin) Hinkle. She attended Trenton High School and the University of Nebraska where she was a member of the UNL Rifle Team and Kappa Delta Delta Sorority...

Dec. 5, 1920-Oct. 25, 2004 CAMBRIDGE -- Harold E. Ike, 83, of Cambridge died Monday, Oct.25, 2004, at the Cambridge Manor. On December 5, 1920 he was born to John K. and Grace L. (Aman) Ike at McCook. He married Margie Ichyanagi on September 29, 1947 in Kobe, Japan...

March 12, 1909-Oct. 23, 2004 BENKELMAN -- Marie L. Kauffman, 95, died Saturday, (Oct. 23, 2004) at Sarah Ann Hester Memorial Home in Benkelman. She was born March 12, 1909, on her family's homestead in Dundy County to John and Lola (Passmore) Schrader and received her grade school education at Rural District 8. She graduated from Benkelman High School in 1926...

Benjamin M. Torres, 37, died Sunday (Oct. 24, 2004) in Lincoln. He served in the Army during Desert Storm. After that he served with the Army Guard and the Nebraska Air National Guard. On Aug. 30, 1997, he married Lori Fisher in McCook. He has been an electrician for Snell's of North Platte...

Nov. 21, 1923-Oct. 25, 2004 ELWOOD -- Marvin "Mike" Schutz, 80, of Elwood, died Monday (Oct. 25, 2004) at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He was born Nov. 21, 1923, southwest of Elwood to William and Mary Heny Schutz. He attended Salem Lutheran School...