U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Rodney Bell
ALDA - Rodney A. Bell, 57, of Alda died Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998, at the St. Francis Memorial Health Center Skilled Nursing Unit in Grand Island.
Services were on Monday at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Grand Island. The Rev. Jack Rademacher officiated. Burial was in the Giltner Cemetery.
Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Mr. Bell was born on Feb. 14, 1941, at Giltner to Donald E. and Irma R. (Mohlman) Bell. He grew up and attended school in Giltner, graduating in 1959. He served in the U.S. Navy.
He married
Judith K. Riese on July 21, 1973, in Grand Island. He owned and operated a contracting business in Grand Island. The couple moved to Lincoln in 1981 and returned to Grand Island in 1992. He continued in the contracting business.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
He was a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Donald Bell of Lincoln, Rick at home and Rodney Jr. of Kansas; two daughters, Andrea Bell of Kearney and Amy Bell of Lincoln; two grandchildren; his parents, of Giltner; two brothers, James Bell and Vernon Bell, both of Garland, Texas; and one sister, Judy (Mrs. Orville) Cox of Lincoln.
He was preceded in death by one son, Jeffrey Bell; and one brother.
Frances Berggren
AURORA - Frances Johanna Berggren, 99, of Aurora died Monday, Dec. 14, 1998, in Memorial Community Care at Memorial Hospital in Aurora.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora. The Rev. Melvin Loge will officiate. Burial will be in the Monroe Church cemetery northwest of Aurora.
There will be no visitation.
Miss Berggren was born in Hamilton County to Ernest and Sara (Odell) Berggren. She grew up and attended country schools in Hamilton County. She attended Wahoo Lutheran College for four years and received two diplomas in normal training and piano.
She taught school in Hamilton County and had many piano students, even after moving to Aurora in 1944. She entered Memorial Community Care in Aurora in September 1993.
Survivors include nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, Knute and Eric; and one sister, Judith Miller.
Robert McCarty
MASON CITY - Robert Dennis McCarty Jr., 70, of Mason City died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at his home.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Broken Bow. The Rev. Bob Rooney will officiate. Burial will be in the parish cemetery with military rites.
Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the church.
Mr. McCarthy was born on Aug. 25, 1928, in Merna to Robert and Dora Ellen (Thomas) McCarty. He graduated from Broken Bow High School.
He served in the U.S. Navy from April 1949 to September 1969. After retiring from the military, he returned to Custer County and lived with his mother for several years. Later he moved to Kansas, where he worked for the government by putting pictures of war on microfilm. In recent years, he lived in Mason City.
Survivors include two sisters, Mary (Mrs. Bob) Stoller of Portland, Ore., and Lorraine (Mrs. Joe) Mullen of Merced, Calif.
He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Michelle; and four sisters, Lucille Denesia, Dorothy McCormick, Loretta McCarty and Coletta Armstrong.
Lloyd A. McComb
ST. EDWARD - Lloyd Aubrey McComb, 86, of St. Edward died Sunday, Dec. 13, 1998, at the Boone County Health Center in Albion.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Miller-Levander Funeral Home in St. Edward. The Rev. Ray Avidano will officiate. Burial will be at 3 p.m. in the Cozad Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Mr. McComb was born on Nov. 21, 1912, on a farm southeast of St. Edward in the Skeedee area to Frank S. and Nannie (Condreay) McComb. He was educated in the St. Edward area and attended St. Edward High School.
He married
Esther Gilsdorf Kane on Feb. 23, 1945. The McCombs owned and operated the OK Tire Store in Ord. They later sold the Ord store and owned and operated the OK Tire Shop in Lexington until retirement. They moved to Denver in 1974. Mrs. McComb died in 1976, and Mr. McComb moved to Cloverlodge Care Center in St. Edward.
He enjoyed traveling and cruises.
He is survived by one stepdaughter, Margaret Ann Hill of Denver; two brothers, Forrest McComb of Fairview, Ill., and Lyle McComb of Columbus; and one sister, Reva McComb of Columbus.
Velma Meese
ORD - Velma Meese, 96, of Ord died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at the Valley County Hospital in Ord.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Ord. The Rev. Jim Warner will officiate. Burial will be in the Ord Catholic Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m., with a rosary at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at Ord Memorial Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to St. Mary's School or the donor's choice.
'Jack' Prescott
BROKEN BOW - John W. "Jack" Prescott, 86, of Broken Bow died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at his home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Govier Brothers Chapel in Broken Bow. The Rev. Doug Jones will officiate. Burial will be in the Merna Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Mr. Prescott was born on March 31, 1912, at Lebanon, Mo., to George and Mamie (Mizer) Prescott. He attended grade school in Lebanon. Later he moved with his family to Merna, where he attended grade school and graduated from Merna High School in 1931.
He was stricken with polio when he was 5 years old, and although he was unable to participate in school sports, he enjoyed being student manager of the teams.
He and another student, Charles Worth, were instrumental in naming the Merna High School mascot, the Coyotes. He worked most of his adult life as a printer in the newspaper industry.
He married
Ruth Newton on March 25, 1943, in Chicago. They retired in 1972 and moved to an acreage in Crossville, Tenn. They moved to Broken Bow in December 1993. Mrs. Prescott died on April 11, 1996.
Mr. Prescott was a member of the Masonic Lodge.
Survivors include four sisters, Nora Faig of Oroville, Calif., Pauline (Mrs. Kenneth) Jackson of Merna, Ethel (Mrs. Elvo) Southard of Waxahachie, Texas, and Mamie Miller of Broken Bow.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death two brothers, Grant and Charles.
David Miller
THEDFORD - David Arnold Miller, 73, of Thedford died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Thedford United Church of Christ. The Rev. Linda Martin will officiate. Burial will be in Hillcrest cemetery at Thedford.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Mullen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the church, Thomas County Historical Society or donor's choice.
Mr. Miller was born on Feb. 21, 1925, at the Hohstatt Ranch in Cherry County to Jay Edward Sr. and Katherine Barbara (Krueger) Miller. He attended Cherry County rural schools and graduated from Mullen High School in 1944.
He entered the service in 1945, serving in Saipan and Hawaii. He was called back to active duty to serve in the Korean War in August 1950 and was discharged in July 1952. He received the Bronze Star for his service in Korea.
He married
Louise Hamilton on Nov. 14, 1955, at Valentine. The couple moved to a ranch north of Seneca. They purchased the grocery store in Thedford in July 1957 and operated it for 21 years. They had lived in Thedford for 43 years.
He lived at Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home for five years.
He served as associate Thomas County judge for 11 years and was inducted as an admiral in the Great Navy of Nebraska upon his retirement.
He was a member of the Thedford United Church of Christ, American Legion No. 230, Veterans of Foreign Wars No. 2023, Broken Bow Elks No. 1688, Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star No. 261. He was a lifetime member of the Thomas County Historical Society. He was a genealogy enthusiast who spent many years researching family history.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Brent of Clay Center; two daughters, Kerri (Mrs. Bill) Hoerler of Bridgeport and Cheryl of Jacksonville, Ala.; four grandchildren; three brothers, Percy of Minden, Ames of Columbus, Ind., and Carl of Fairfield, Calif.; and one sister, Katherine "Kitty" Simonson of Mullen.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Jim and Jay; and two sisters, Rosa Edelman and Mabel Young.
