U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Laura Guenther
WEST POINT - Services for Laura C. Guenther, 89, of West Point will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church here with burial in St. Michael’s Cemetery.
Visitation will be until 8 p.m. Monday with a Christian Mothers rosary at 1:30 p.m. and wake at 7 p.m. at Stokely Funeral Home.
She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at St. Joseph’s Retirement Community in West Point.
Memorials may be made to the church or Guardian Angels Endowment.
Clayton Higgins
NIOBRARA - Services for Clayton Higgins, 91, of Niobrara are pending at Brockhaus Funeral Home in Niobrara. Mr. Higgins died Monday, Jan 9, 2006, at Alpine Village in Verdigre.
Wilma Lawson
PILGER - Services for Wilma D. Lawson, 85, of Pilger will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. Burial will be in the Pilger Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday from 3 to 8 p.m. at Kuzelka-Minnick Funeral Home in Pilger and continue Tuesday after 9 a.m. at the church.
She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at Providence Medical Center in Wayne.
Wilma Dorothea Koepke was born June 29, 1920, at Winside to William and Christina (Muhs) Koepke. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Winside and later confirmed at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. Wilma attended Wayne County Rural School District 11 and at the age of 13 moved with her family to Pilger. She attended Pilger Public School and graduated from Pilger High School in 1940.
On June 23, 1940, she was united in marriage to Frank Lawson at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. The couple lived in the Pilger area and Wilma worked as a cleaning lady and a painter. She painted houses, acreages and also painted rooms at the nursing home. Wilma was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 5767 of Wisner and the Fraternal Order of Eagles 3611 of Norfolk.
Survivors include son, Lanny Lawson of Norfolk, and children, Justin Lawson and Shelly Arkfeld of Yankton, S.D., and children, Cortney, Skylar, Autumn and Amber, Kipp, Lacy and BreeAnn Lawson, all of Norfolk; daughter, LaRene Oswald of Pilger and children, Daniel Oswald Jr. and fiancée Jessica Kampeska of Pilger, Robert Oswald and fiancée Shannan Lorenz of Lincoln and daughter Kailey Andrea Oswald of Sioux Falls, S.D.; daughter-in-law, Emily and husband Lawrence Haase of Wayne; sisters, Berneta Schaffer of Redford, Mich., Betty and husband Gene Baumert of Blair; sisters-in-law, Doris Koepke of Pilger and Evelyn West of Waukee, Iowa
Wilma was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son, Larry Lawson; son-in-law, Daniel Oswald; sister, Alma (Giese) Carsten; and two brothers, Junior and Henry Koepke.
Edwin Nathan
MADISON - Services for Edwin H. Nathan, 85, of Fremont, formerly of Madison, will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday at Resseguie Funeral Home in Madison.
Mr. Nathan died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Fremont Area Medical Center.
Edwin was born on Aug. 23, 1920, at St. Bernard, the son of Herman and Clara (Scheer) Nathan. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in St. Bernard. He attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School in St. Bernard.
On Dec. 31, 1942, Edwin married Ellen Dieter at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Humphrey.
The couple farmed for seven years before moving to Madison in 1949, where he owned and operated Edwin Nathan Trucking for 36 years. Later, Edwin drove a school bus for the Madison Public Schools for nine years. He then was part-time courier for the Madison County Bank from 1996 to 2002.
Edwin was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 50 years and held offices on the Trinity Lutheran School Board and served as an elder.
In 2002, they moved to Fremont to be closer to family. At the time of his death, Edwin was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont.
Edwin is survived by his wife of 63 years; two sons and their spouses, Garry and Kathie of Fremont and Ed and Dee of Lincoln; two daughters, Sherry Ford of Bailey, Colo., and Terry Jo Nathan of Omaha; six grandchildren, Kim and husband Roger Bayliff of Fremont, Wendi and husband John Vecera of Fremont, Tina and husband Tom McDermott of Elkhorn, Lyndsey Nathan of North Platte, Trenton Nathan and Tori Nathan of Lincoln; nine great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Clarence, Willard and Norman; five sisters, Martha Knapp, Linda Knapp, Irene Oleson, Laverne Ambroz and Tillie Rakowsky.
Rita Ramaeker
FREMONT - Services for Rita (Mrs. Jerome) Ramaeker, 71, Fremont, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church here with burial in Calvary Cemetery.
Visitation will be 2-5 p.m. Tuesday at Moser Memorial Chapel in Fremont and at the church from 6-7 p.m., with a rosary at 7 p.m., and continue at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the church.
The former resident of Cedar Rapids, Albion and Lindsay died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at Fremont Area Medical Center.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.
Robert Schurman
SCHUYLER - Services are pending at Svoboda Funeral Home in Schuyler for Robert Schurman, 69, of Schuyler. Mr Schurman died Sunday, Jan 8, 2006, at St Elizabeth Medical Center in Lincoln.
Harold Woerman
WEST POINT - Services for Harold E. Woerman, 90, Sioux Falls, S.D., formerly of West Point, will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church in West Point with burial in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Stokely Funeral Home with family present from 5 to 7 p.m.
He died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at a Sioux Falls hospital.
Memorials may be made to Mount Hope Cemetery or Grace Lutheran Church.
Oscar Carlson
Services for Oscar Carlson, 88, Norfolk, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Johnson-Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk. Burial will be in Laurel City Cemetery.
Visitation will be 3-8 p.m. Tuesday at the chapel.
He died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Norfolk.
Edgar Becker
HARTINGTON - Services for Edgar J. Becker, 93, Hartington, will be Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church here. Burial will be at the St. Michael’s cemetery in Hartington.
Visitation will be on Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. with a rosary at 2 p.m. and a vigil service at 7:30 p.m. at the Wintz Funeral Home in Hartington.
Mr. Becker died on Friday, January 6, 2006, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton.
LaVerne Buckles
ERICSON - Services for LaVerne Buckles, 73, Ericson, will be Monday at 2 p.m. here at the United Methodist Church.
Visitation will be Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Ericson United Methodist Church. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Buckles died on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, at Bryan LGH East in Lincoln.
LaVerne was born June 13, 1932, at Tate, Neb., in Pawnee County to Leonard and Louise (Poland) Buckles. LaVerne attended school in Pawnee County and moved with his family to the Buckles ranch southeast of Ericson in 1938. LaVerne attended Cedar Valley Grade School and graduated from Ericson Rural High School in 1950. He ranched with his father until being inducted into the U.S. Army in February of 1953. He was stationed at Camps Chaffee, Ark., and Fort Lewis, Wash., before serving in Korea. His tour of duty was completed in October 1954. LaVerne returned to ranching and married Kay Jenkins on July 31, 1955, at the Elgin United Methodist Church. LaVerne and Kay lived southeast of Ericson until March 1958 when they moved to their present site.
LaVerne was involved in the Wheeler County Farm Bureau, American Legion, was a school board member and 4-H leader. He belonged to the Cedar Valley Presbyterian Church and was an associate member of the Ericson United Methodist Church.
LaVerne is survived by his wife, Kay; four daughters, Linda Buckles of Gretna, Sandy Large and her husband, Kevin, of Hayes Center, Lana Buckles of Bartlett, Audrey Smalley and her husband, Cecil, of Wichita, Kan.; one son Jerry Buckles and his wife, Jeanne, of Ericson; 11 grandchildren, Nathan Cain of Lincoln, Jentry Cain of Gretna, Lichelle, Joslyn, Halsie and Kerbie Large of Hayes Center, Donald and Betty Smalley of Wichita, Kan., Jessica, Jarrett and Julien Buckles of Ericson; one sister Betty Deitloff and her husband,Dee, of Norfolk; a sister-in-law Carol Buckles of Albion, sister-in-law Joan Richart and husband, Kenneth, of Elgin, and many nieces and nephews.
The Rev. Bonnie Forney will officiate at the Monday service.
Memorials may be given to the Ericson United Methodist Church or the Wheeler County Fire Department or Pibel Cemetery.
Laura Guenther
WEST POINT - Services for Laura C. Guenther, 89, West Point, are pending at the Stokely Funeral Home here. She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at St. Joseph Retirement Center.
Margaret Krause
HOSKINS - Services for Margaret “Marjie” Krause, 92, Norfolk, formerly of Hoskins, will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday here at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hoskins.
Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m., Monday at the Home for Funerals in Norfolk.
She died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Care Center in Norfolk.
Marjie was born on July 7, 1913, in Hoskins, the daughter of Louis and Minnie (Pfeil) Krause.
She was a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hoskins where she was baptized and confirmed and received her education. Marjie was a member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society and the Hoskins Birthday Club.
Marjie lived with her parents until their deaths. Then her sister, Natalie Smith, returned to Hoskins and they lived in their parents’ home. Following the death of her sister, Marjie moved to St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Care Center in Norfolk where she has resided the past 19 years.
Marjie had a great love of flowers and enjoyed reading, especially her Bible.
Marjie is survived by one niece, Patty Jones and her husband, Daryle, of San Jose, Calif.; five cousins and their families.
She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters and three brothers.
The Rev. Rodney Rixe will officiate during the Tuesday service.
