U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Ben Olson
AURORA -- Ben Ralph Olson, 40, of Aurora died Monday, Dec. 8, 1997, in Aurora.
Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Monroe Evangelical Free Church, northwest of Aurora. The Rev. Mark Dunham will officiate. Burial will be in the Phillips Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora.
Mr. Olson was born on May 29, 1957, at Grand Island to Donald and Mary (Thompson) Olson. He grew up in Phillips, where he attended grade school. He graduated from Aurora High School in 1975 and then served in the National Guard.
He married
Julie Ann Bell on Oct. 22, 1977, at Giltner. They lived in Giltner and Grand Island and had lived in Aurora for five years.
Mr. Olson was a licensed real estate broker and appraiser. He owned and operated Olson Appraisal and was a broker for Cornwell, Olson and Smith Real Estate and Cornwell and Associates.
He attended Monroe Evangelical Free Church, was a member of Phillips Keystone Masonic Lodge 62 A.F. & A.M. and belonged to the Aurora Rotary Club.
Survivors include his wife; four daughters, Hillary, Lindsay, Natalie and Phoebe, all of Aurora; his mother, of Aurora; two brothers, John of Doniphan and Tom of Aurora; and two sisters, Pam Sass and Carol Vincik, both of Aurora.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Clara Fraka
WESLACO, Texas -- Clara Marie Fraka, 82, of Weslaco, Texas, formerly of Belgrade, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997, in Weslaco.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Belgrade Methodist Church. The Rev. Jim Moore will officiate. Burial will be in Sunset cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Palmer's Funeral Home in Fullerton.
Henry Wit
Henry A. Wit, 81, of Grand Island died Tuesday, July 21, 1998, at Park Place Health Care and Rehab Center.
Mr. Wit's body was donated to the Nebraska Anatomical Board. Memorial services will be at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to St. Francis Hospice or Trinity United Methodist Church.
Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Wit was born on June 29, 1917, in Wilber to Anton and Anna (Stajner) Wit. He grew up and was educated in Wilber.
He married
Evelyne Loft on June 19, 1940, in Ord.
Mr. Wit was a musician and played with the Joe Lukesh Polka Band before forming his own band, called the Czech Masters. He worked at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant and then sold insurance for Farmers Mutual Insurance, which later became American Family Insurance.
Mr. Wit also opened a repair shop for musical instruments, which he operated for more than 30 years.
He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and was a past member of the Liederkranz, Eagles and Platt-Duetsche.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Erik Wit of Nazareth, Pa.; one daughter, Mary Beaver of Grand Island; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one sister, Evangeline Baren of Beatrice.
He was preceded in death by one son, Gary Wit; and one infant sister, Mavis Wit.
Dean Kowalski
ST. PAUL -- Dean Kowalski, 54, of St. Paul died Monday, July 20, 1998, at Columbus Community Hospital as a result of a motorcycle accident.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Jacobsen Funeral Home in St. Paul. The Revs. Bob Stout and Dave Rykwalder will officiate. Burial will be in Elmwood cemetery at St. Paul with military rites by Carl Mogensen Post 119 of St. Paul.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Mr. Kowalski was born on June 17, 1944, at St. Paul to John R. and Anna (Curtis) Kowalski. He was educated in Elba and St. Paul, where he graduated in 1962. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1963. He graduated from San Diego Community College while in the Navy. He also taught a class in computer science at Southwest Community College in San Diego.
He worked for Computer Analysts Systems and lived at San Diego, Subic Bay, the Philippines, Singapore and Japan. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1985. He returned to St. Paul in 1995. He enjoyed traveling on his motorcycle and had been returning from a rally on the East Coast.
He was a member of the Gold Ring Riders Association, Eagles Aerie 378 of Grand Island, American Legion Post of St. Paul, Royal Coachman Card Club, National Rifle Association, Disabled American Veterans and Fleet Reserve Association.
Survivors include two brothers, John L. of St. Paul and Robert of Alda.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Don Kowalski.
Rita McCarthy
TAYLOR -- Rita Esta McCarthy, 76, of Taylor died Monday, July 20, 1998, under hospice care in Grand Island.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Assembly of God Church in Taylor. The Rev. Donald Dennison will officiate. Burial will be in Moulton cemetery in Loup County.
Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the family's choice.
Mrs. McCarthy was born April 26, 1922, in Loup County to Chester and Rita (Hyde) Dunbar. She attended school in Loup County and at Chadron State College. She taught school before marrying James Elmer McCarthy on June 30, 1947, at the Assembly of God Church in Taylor.
They lived in Rock County and later lived in Loup County while working and living on the James Hyde and Ernest Abbott Ranches. The couple retired on their own ranch on the North Loup River in 1983. Mr. McCarthy died June 16, 1992.
She was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Taylor, where she was a Sunday School teacher and pianist. She also taught piano lessons to numerous students in her home. She was a member of the Loup County Historical Society, the Clever Clique Club and Farm Bureau. She enjoyed music, teaching piano lessons, gardening and sewing.
Survivors include two sons, Norman of Grand Island and Maynard of Thedford; two daughters, Leanne (Mrs. Mike) Carl of Selah, Wash. and Karna McCarthy of Aberdeen, Wash.; 12 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; five brothers, L.D. Dunbar of Milburn, Evan Dunbar of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Chester Dunbar of Coon Rapids, Minn., Willis Dunbar of Taylor and Galen Dunbar of Elkhorn; and one sister, Viona (Mrs. Jesse) Sandoz of Taylor.
Besides her husband she was preceded in death by four sisters, Roena Morgan, Beulah Drake, Alice Richards and Corinne Clements.
Leonard Bell Sr.
LINCOLN -- Leonard Bell Sr., 63, of Lincoln died Wednesday, July 22, 1998, at Lincoln.
Roper and Sons Mortuary of Lincoln is in charge of arrangements.
Robert Bohl
SAN DIEGO -- Robert "Bob" Bohl, 70, of San Diego, formerly of Grand Island, died Monday, July 20, 1998, after a long illness.
Services will be on Thursday at Clairmont Funeral Home in San Diego.
Linda George
OGDEN, Utah -- Linda D. George, 47, of Ogden, Utah, formerly of Plattsmouth, died July 14, 1998, in Italy.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church in Plattsmouth. The Rev. Steve Eldred will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Hill cemetery at Plattsmouth.
Roby Funeral Home in Plattsmouth is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association or the Methodist Church in Plattsmouth.
Mrs. George was born on Nov. 21, 1950, in Shenandoah, Iowa, to Kenneth D. and Nettie Alma (Long) Henry. She graduated from Plattsmouth High School in 1968 and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for two years.
She married
Robert E. George on Jan. 22, 1972, in Lincoln. They lived in several locations because of his U.S. Air Force duty. She graduated suma cum laude from Wright State College in Dayton, Ohio, and became a certified public accountant.
At the time of her death, she was visiting her husband in Italy, where he was assigned for a temporary tour of duty with the Air Force.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Robert J. George of Meridian, Miss., and Adam George of Dayton, Ohio; her parents, of Plattsmouth; two brothers, Kenneth Henry of Omaha and Charles Henry of Seattle; one sister, Vicki (Mrs. Richard) Bird of Glenwood, Iowa; and her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ted and Imogene George of Grand Island.
