Stories from Friday, September 7, 2001

EDITOR'S NOTE -- This week's Express Lane was written between contractions -- involving the writer, not the writing. Ronda and Jon Graff became parents of their third son, as yet unnamed, this morning. He also joins a sister. As I reflect on recent personal experience, I realize parents usually don't think twice about fixing a child's broken arm or leg. ...

The eyes of sports-minded America will be focused on the Cornhusker kingdom Saturday night when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame invade Memorial Stadium in Lincoln to battle the Big Red of Nebraska. For football fans -- which includes a multitude of Nebraskans and Irish fans nationwide -- Saturday's nationally televised game will be the ultimate in anticipated drama...

NORTH PLATTE -- Irene Ogier, 94, died Aug. 27, 2001, at Premier Estates. She was born May 30, 1907, at McCook to Charles and Myrta (Morgan) Stennette. She graduated from McCook High School with the class of 1924. She worked for Elmer Kay, Clerk of the District Court, for two years, leaving to work for the Nebraska Department of Roads where she worked until 1937...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Adelene Marie (Stennette) Kvasnicka, 84, died Sept. 1, 2001, at a Colorado Springs hospital. She was born March 16, 1917, at McCook to Charles Huston and Myrta Alice (Morgan) Stennette. On July 27, 1939, she married Donald A. Kvasnicka...

Elsbeth M. Kasten, 83, died Tuesday (Sept. 4, 2001) at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. She was born Dec. 31, 1917, at Ludell, Kan., to Wilhelm and Elizabeth (Kastens) Stolte. She grew up at Ludell, and graduated from Atwood High School at Atwood. Following graduation she moved to Denver, Colo., where she attended business college...

BOONE, Iowa -- Norval M. Gragg, 83, of Boone, Iowa, died Nov. 10, 2000, at Boone County Hospital in Boone. He was born Aug. 3, 1917, at Mullen to Jesse and Stella (O'Brien) Gragg. He graduated from McCook High School and McCook Community College. On July 16, 1938, he married Lucelia M. ...

ATWOOD -- Arnold "Barney" L. Okeson, 81, died Thursday (Sept. 6, 2001) at the Rawlins County Health Center in Atwood. He was born March 4, 1920, at Chance, Kan., to Olof and Karin Cecelia (Johnson) Okeson. He spent most of his life in Wallace County, Kan., until moving to Atwood on Jan. 5, 2000...