U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Melvin Drahota
ERICSON -- Melvin John Drahota, 76, of Ericson died Tuesday, Dec. 16, 1997, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church in Ericson. The Rev. Cynthia Allstadt will officiate. Burial will be in the Bartlett City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell.
Memorials are suggested to the Ericson Fire Department.
Mr. Drahota was born on Jan. 18, 1921, at Humphrey to John "Jack" and Elsie (Reeg) Drahota.
He married
Pearl Carstens on Sept. 15, 1953, at her parents' home near Ericson.
Mr. Drahota was a rancher and a World War II veteran.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Gary Drahota of Burwell; and one grandson.
Elsie Florea
SARGENT -- Elsie L. Florea, 76, of Sargent died Monday, Dec. 15, 1997, at her sister's home near Tryon.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Eclipse Church northwest of Tryon in Hooker County. The Rev. Jim Mintle and Bob Woodward will officiate. Burial will be in the Eclipse Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow.
Memorials are suggested to the Nebraska Boys Ranch.
Mrs. Florea was born on Jan. 27, 1921, in Grant County to Samuel and Minnie (Bassett) Musser. She attended grade school in Hooker County and graduated from Mullen High School in 1939.
She married
Donald Florea on May 5, 1941, at Hyannis. They lived on a ranch near Tryon. After her husband joined the Navy in 1942, Mrs. Florea joined him at bases in San Diego; Toledo, Ohio; and Miami. She worked at an aircraft factory and munitions plant in California during World War II.
The couple returned to the Sandhills area in 1947 and lived in Thedford. They bought a place northwest of Sargent in 1953. Mr. Florea died on July 14, 1981.
Mrs. Florea enjoyed working with cattle and horses, spending time on the Dismal River and hunting arrowheads in the Sandhills.
Survivors include three sons, Russell Florea of Crescent, Iowa, Victor Florea of Stapleton and Monte Florea of Fort Collins, Colo.; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one brother, Don Musser of Tryon; two sisters, Doris Griffith of Tryon and Babe Trout of North Platte; and a special friend, Stan Sommer of Merna.
Other than her husband, she was preceded in death by an infant daughter; one brother, Samuel; and one sister, Helen.
Everett Howell
ORD -- Everett Howell, 81, of Ord died Monday, Dec. 15, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ord. The Rev. Keith Menter will officiate. Burial will be in the Ord City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ord Memorial Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the church.
Mr. Howell was born on Nov. 4, 1916, in Garfield County to Earl and Fern (Hopkins) Howell. He grew up in Garfield and Valley counties and graduated from North Loup High School in 1938.
He was a bus driver on a route from Grand Island to Burwell for three years. He then worked at a service station in North Loup before working on the Bill Treptow farm for five years.
He moved to Colorado for seven years before returning to Nebraska. He worked on the Elmer Hallock farm for 14 years, worked at service stations in Ord and North Loup and for an equipment business until retiring in 1988.
He married
Marvel Smith in 1945 at Columbus. She died on Aug. 10, 1968.
He married
Lillian (Hulinsky) Masin on Oct. 10, 1969. She died on Sept. 27, 1990.
He was a member of Bethany Lutheran Church and the Ord Elks Lodge.
Survivors include five stepsons, Verlin Smith, Darrel Smith and Larry Masin, all of Ord, Sherman Smith of Grand Island and Mel Masin of Lincoln; three stepdaughters, Maxine Perotto of Omaha, Joan Knapp of Loveland, Colo., and Opal Shoemaker of Aurora; many step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren; and one sister, Velma Warner of Ord.
In addition to his two wives, he was preceded in death by two brothers, James Howell and John Howell; and one sister, Ethel Howell.
Catherine Kerrigan
GREELEY -- Catherine Kerrigan, 90, of Greeley died Monday, Dec. 15, 1997, at the Greeley Care Home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley. The Rev. Gerald Carlson will officiate. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., with a rosary at 7:30 p.m., Friday at the church.
T.J. Finn and Sons Funeral Home in Greeley is in charge of arrangements.
Jessie Bopp
York -- Jessie Louise Bopp, 72, of York, formerly of Polk, died Sunday, Dec. 14, 1997, at the Grand Island Veterans Home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Solt Funeral Home in Central City. The Rev. Beverly J. Minor will officiate. Burial will be in Dublin cemetery at Primrose.
Memorials are suggested to the donor's choice.
Survivors include three sons, Rick Bopp of Fremont, Tim Bopp of Ansley and Daniel Bopp of Valentine; one daughter, Jean M. Bopp of Grand Island; four grandchildren; and two sisters, Audrey Crosby of Spalding and Wilma Crosby of St. Paul.
Besides her husband, James, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Byrle Tiereny and an infant, Patsy Ruth.
Raymond Lewis
OMAHA -- Raymond Loyd Lewis, 89, of Omaha died Saturday, Dec. 13, 1997, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha.
Services will be at noon Wednesday at Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell. The Rev. Rolly Salts will officiate. Burial will be in Cottonwood cemetery in Burwell.
Mr. Lewis was born in a sod house in Garfield County to Samuel Simpson and Mary Matilda Leigh (Spears) Lewis.
He moved to Omaha as a teen-ager. He opened a restaurant in downtown Omaha, worked at the Marten bomber plant at Fort Crook during World War II and was a contract salesman in building materials.
He married
Louise Biggs on Jan. 12, 1932, in the Lutheran Church in Omaha.
He liked to cook.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Ray Lewis of Omaha; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and three brothers, Armin and Martin, both of Burwell, and Kenneth Scanlan of Bellaire, Texas.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Raymond Loyd Jr.; four sisters, Mable Whiteside, Ethel Lindsey, Tressie Shafer and Essie Carrick; and a brother, Clifton Lewis.
'Bob' Rinehart
SAN DIEGO -- Lloyd S. "Bob" Rinehart, 80, of San Diego, formerly of Polk, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 1997, after a brief illness.
Services will be on Thursday at Calvary Lutheran Church in Solana Beach, Calif. Burial will be in Fort Rosecrans National cemetery in San Diego.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Jan. 10, 1998, at the United Methodist Church in Horseshoe Bend, Ark.
Memorials are suggested to the San Diego Hospice, 4311 Third Ave., San Diego, Calif. 92103, or to the Calvary Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 424 Via De La Valle, Solana Beach, Calif. 92075.
Encinitas Mortuary in Encinitas, Calif., is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Rinehart was born on May 1, 1917, in Polk to Frank and Florence Rinehart. He graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1936 and attended Bellevue Trade School.
He joined the Nebraska National Guard in February 1941. He served as a sergeant in World War II with the 35th Division, 134th Infantry. He saw action in Europe and earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
He married
Ruth B. Grim of Dannebrog on Oct. 5, 1942, in Glendale, Calif. He worked for J.I. Case Co. in Bettendorf, Iowa, for 31 years. He retired in 1980 and moved to Horseshoe Bend, Ark.
He was an avid horseshoe pitcher and a member of the Horseshoe Bend Lions Club, Methodist Men's Club and Kansas and Nebraska Club. He served on the Horseshoe Bend Auxiliary Police Department for 15 years and was commander of American Legion Post 344 in Horseshoe Bend.
He was a charter member of Asbury Methodist Church in Bettendorf and joined the United Methodist Church of Horseshoe Bend.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Gary of Del Mar, Calif., and Rodney of Bettendorf; three grandchildren; a brother, Ross of Amrey, Wis.; and a sister, Agnes (Mrs. Fred) Quick of San Jose, Calif.
He was preceded in death by three brothers, Owen, Rollin and Lee; and a sister, Audrey.
