Stories from Monday, March 28, 2011

Nov. 5, 1948-March 13, 2011 ATWOOD, Kansas -- A memorial service to celebrate the life of Lucas "Caddy" Memmelaar will be held at Courts of Praise in Atwood, Kansas, on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at 2 p.m. Pastor Kent Morgan will officiate the service. Funeral arrangements for cremation were made by Williams Funeral Home, Atwood, Kansas...

Dec. 10, 1927-March 22, 2011 McCOOK, Nebraska -- Bobbie Ray Lakey, 83, passed away Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at his home in McCook. He was born Dec. 10, 1927, in Fairbury, Nebraska, the son of the late Robert and Anna (Larson) Lakey. At the age of five, the family moved to Holyoke, Colorado, where Bobbie grew up and graduated from rural school...

July 2, 1955-March 23, 2011 LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Michael Everett Powell, 55, passed away Wednesday, March 23, 2011. He was born July 2, 1955, in Benkelman, Nebraska to Everett and Leora (Folkerts) Powell. Michael and Sandra (Misner) Powell were united in marriage on June 19, 1982, in Lincoln. He worked for his brother, Dr. Richard Powell, as an Optician at Malbar Vision Center in Lincoln for 30 years...

Jan. 12, 1932-March 25, 2011 HOLDREGE, Nebraska -- Memorial services for Bill E. Anderson will be conducted from Christian Homes Care Community Chapel in Holdrege on Wednesday at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Dr. W. Kirwin Stewart Jr. and Chaplain DeWane Dow officiating. Private family inurnment is at a later date at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska with full military honors...

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A friendship forged in the fires of World War II China is spreading to a new generation thanks to a documentary and film project undertaken by Chinese officials. Madam Li Xiaolin of the Chinese People's association for Friendship with Foreign Countries led a film crow to McCook this weekend filming scenes for a documentary and feature film about an American flier rescued from the hands of the Japanese...

In what may be the closest thing McCook gets to an international state dinner, Mayor Dennis Berry and Madam Li Xiaolin exchanged gifts in a private dinner Saturday at the Coppermill Restaurant in McCook. The occasion was the visit of Li, aides and a film crew from China filming scenes and interviews for a documentary and 3D film about the experiences of a McCook native shot down and rescued by her father, Gen. Li Xiannian, during World War II...

For many years the Marsh Insurance and Real Estate Agency was a familiar landmark in McCook. The four generations of the Marsh men who ran that agency were also some of the leading figures of our town, playing a conspicuous part in the business and social organizations of the town...

A recent episode of "The Middle" focused on the birth day stories of the three fictional "Heck" children, Axel, Sue and Brick. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about Axel's birth, or Sue's, but Brick discovered that he had "the best birth day story ever!" when his parents admitted that they had initially taken the wrong baby home after posing as a wealthy couple using the hospital's premier birthing room...

I got to thinking the other day that with laptops, cell phones, Blackberries, iPads, iPods, Kindles, you name it, that it's nearly impossible anymore to sit through an entire meal without some device beeping or buzzing. That's not a bad thing. Its technological advancements and they are constantly changing...

NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska -- The McCook High School boys golf team got a strong start to the 2011 spring season with a third-place finish at the North Platte Invitational. The 18-hole competition was contested Friday, March 25, under frigid conditions at the Iron Eagle Golf Course in North Platte...

For any area sports fans who thought spring is here, Mother Nature reminded everyone -- "Not so fast, my friends," with last weekend's frigid blast. The McCook High School track and field teams entertained North Platte Friday, March 25, in a dual meet to mark the first outdoor event of the season for the Bison squads. The meet was held under blustery conditions at the McCook High School stadium...