Stories from Monday, September 26, 2005

The children of Dave and Angela McCarty are requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 25th wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 28, 1980, in McCook. Their children are Tyler and wife, Carrie McCarty of Omaha and Jenni McCarty of Kearney. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 1700 W. Fourth, McCook, NE 69001. A reception in honor of the couple will take place in October at the McCook Evangelical Free Church...

The family and friends of DeVona Kelly are requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday. She was born Sept. 29, 1925. Cards of congratulations will reach her at P.O. Box 85, Indianola, NE 69034.

Jolie Ann Fortkamp and Ryan Ward Ricenbaw, both of Waverly, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Dee and Jennifer Fortkamp of Palisade and Norman and Patricia Ricenbaw of Friend. The bride-to-be is a graduate of McCook High School and the College of Hair Design. ...

Kimberly Loecker and Anthony Wilson, both of Omaha, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Don and Denise Loecker of McCook and Robert and Lois Wilson of Omaha. The bride-to-be graduated from McCook High School in 1998 and McCook Community College in 2000. ...

Peg Augustyn Carter and Randy Andrews were united in marriage Saturday, May 28, 2005, on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Rev. Mark Yasuhara officiated. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and is making their home in McCook.

The family of Ralph "Lefty" Felker is requesting a card shower in honor of his 80th birthday. He was born Sept. 29, 1925. Cards of congratulations will reach him at Rt 3, Box 71A, Culbertson, NE 69024.

The family of Harry and Barbara Hixson is requesting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Oct. 4, 1955, in Pickins, S.C. They have four daughters, Cathy and husband, Arden Myers, Debra and husband, Gerald Maris, Peggy Savage and Linda Koetter. They have eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 38657 Ravenswood Road, McCook, NE 69001...

The family of Fern Dowling is requesting a card shower in honor of her birthday. She was born Sept. 28, 1918. Her family includes Roger and family, Carrol and family and Sharon and family. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 907 E. Fifth, McCook, NE 69001...

Wendee Park and Joel Masters, both of Omaha, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Tim and Barb Baca of Wilsonville, Eddie Park of Lebanon, Doug and Robbin Masters of Albion and Pam and Kim Grieser of Lincoln. The bride-to-be graduated from Twin Valley High School in 2001 and received her bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Concordia University in 2005. ...

The family of Marie Bales Patton is requesting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday. She was born Sept. 28, 1915. Cards of congratulations will reach her at the ElDorado Manor, Trenton, NE 69044.

Karen Kay McFarland and Thomas Charles West, both of McCook, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are the Rev. John Duff of Port Angeles, Wash., the late Leatrice Duff and Darrel and Marla West of Norcatur, Kan. The bride-to-be graduated from high school in Kingman, Ariz., in 1987. ...

Becky and Tracey Mai announce the birth of a son, Evan Matthew, on Tuesday, July 12, 2005, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. He has an older brother, Riley. He weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long. Grandparents are Cindy and Gary Siebrandt of McCook and Dorothy and Bob Staab of Plainville, Kan. Great-grandparents are Peggy Cisar and Alice Siebrandt, both of McCook...

Steve and Lori Stein of McCook announce the birth of a daughter, Ava Lynn, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005, at Community Hospital of McCook. She weighed 7 pounds and was 18 3/4 inches long. Grandparents are Bryan and Lois Kinne of McCook and the late Eldon and Evelyn Stein. Great-grandparents are Leo and Nellie McConville of McCook...

INDIANOLA -- Lindsey Haag and Nick Koehn, both of Lincoln, were united in marriage Saturday, June 4, 2005, at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Indianola, with the Rev. Nicholas Baker officiating. Parents of the couple are Bob and Kathy Haag of Indianola and Frank and Vickey Koehn of Johnson Lake...

LINCOLN -- The McCook High School softball team, ranked fourth in Nebraska Class B and 10th in the state overall by the Omaha World Herald, suffered its first two losses of the season Saturday at the Lincoln Southeast Tournament. The Bison lost to Millard West 2-0 and Omaha Marian 4-3 in eight innings. McCook posted a 1-0 win over the host school...

MINDEN -- McCook High School's Cody Martin and Ryan Ankersen placed in the top 10 in the varsity boys race Saturday at the Minden Invitational cross country meet. Martin placed fifth in the 3.1-mile race with a time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds. Ankersen placed seventh with a time of 18:10...

HOLDREGE -- The McCook Bison volleyball team posted a 1-2 record at the Holdrege Invitational Saturday and now has a 5-7 overall mark for the season. McCook defeated Blue Hill 25-11, 16-25, 25-16 and lost to Grand Island Central Catholic 25-23, 25-15 and Minden 25-16, 26-24...

HOLDREGE -- The McCook High School girls golf team finished fourth out of 10 teams at Saturday's Holdrege Invitational. The Bison posted a 411 score at the Holdrege Country Club, paced by two medalists. Lesley Nelson placed sixth with 92 and Justin Hager tied for 11th place with a 96...

Oberlin football team falls to Goodland 17-7 OBERLIN -- The Decatur Community High School-Oberlin football team lost to Goodland 17-7 at home Friday. The Red Devils' scored their touchdown in the third quarter on a 41-yard pass from Denton Bailey to Jason Thomas. Oberlin kicked the extra point...

OBERLIN -- The McCook High School freshman volleyball squad went 3-2 in the Oberlin C team tournament over the weekend. McCook finished fourth in the tournament. The Bison freshman beat Oberlin in three sets and Goodland in two sets Friday. On Saturday, the Bison defeated Rawlins County-Atwood 25-17, 25-14, lost to Colby in three sets 25-6, 16-25, 12-15 and Oakley 25-14, 24-26, 10-15...

June 13, 1916--Sept. 24, 2005 CURTIS -- Winifred Mae Nutt Petersen, 89, died Saturday (Sept. 24, 2005) at Linden Court at North Platte. She was born on a farm south of Madrid, Neb., on June 13, 1916, the third oldest child of Walter and Mary Reutzel Nutt...

Jan. 4, 1908--Sept. 23, 2005 Thelma T. Adams, 97, died Friday (Sept. 23, 2005) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. She was born Jan. 4, 1908, in Purdum to Samuel Henry and Grace Adelaide (Oldham) Teaford. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1926. She married Raymond P. Walter in 1928 in Kansas City, Mo. He preceded her in death in 1988. She married James S. Adams in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 15, 1992...

Aug. 24, 1928--Sept. 23, 2005 CAMBRIDGE -- Frances Nadine (Merklin) Miller, 77, entered into rest Friday, Sept. 23, 2005, at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Frances was born Aug. 24, 1928, in Benkleman on the family farm. She was the oldest child of L.E. "Shorty" and Myrtle (Wyant) Merklin...

The children of Mary Osterman are requesting a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday. She was born Oct. 1, 1925, in Chicago, Ill. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 708 West 14th, McCook, NE 69001.

The McCook Junior High School eighth grade football team opened its season Thursday night against the Norton Bluejays at Weiland Field. In the A team game, Norton scored three times in the first half to take a 20-0 lead. In the second half, the Bison came out strong and scored early on a 35-yard touchdown run by Deon Allen...

Despite a temperature drop of 30 degrees in one day, crowds at Heritage Days were estimated at a record size, according to Pam Harsh, Executive Director of the McCook Chamber of Commerce. "People were telling me that this was the most people they've seen at the parade," said Harsh, who added that she heard a lot of good comments concerning the weekend celebration. Five class reunions also met over the weekend, she said...

No one knows for sure how many people turned out for the Heritage Days parade Saturday, but officials agree that the crowd was the largest to gather for a McCook event in recent years. "The turnout for the parade was definitely larger than it was in '03 or '04," said McCook Police Chief Ike Brown. "There are always a lot of people on Norris Avenue," the chief said, "but this year the crowd of people stretched into the 400 and 500 block of C Street."...

**Dear Editor, Why would we care about number 1 in something we don't care about ["Ignoring No. 1, focusing on mediocrity" (http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1119379.html)]? The fact is women's volleyball, while fun to play, isn't really that fun to watch or follow...

**Dear Editor, Thank you, Ronda, for knocking around some Husker heads for ignoring the Nebraska volleyball team. Those Huskers have been outstanding for years, but Coach John Cook's current team may well be one of the best in NCAA history. I first took my then 8-year-old daughter to a match in Boulder in the early 1990s, where the Huskers clobbered a capable Colorado team...

Like everyone, I was sickened by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. It hurts to look at the pictures of the devastation of that area. Temporarily, at least, I've chosen to replace those sad pictures with pictures of that area that I carry in my mind's eye, from a happier time...