U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
'Marge' Thompson
GREELEY -- Margaret "Marge" F. Thompson, 75, of Greeley died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998, at her home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3:30 to 8 p.m., with rosaries at 4 and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
T.J. Finn and Sons Funeral Home of Greeley is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Thompson was born on Jan. 6, 1923, in Grand Island to James and Agnes (Welsh) Rease. She attended a rural school until the seventh grade and graduated in 1940 from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Greeley. She moved to Omaha and worked in a brush factory until 1942.
She married
Raphael "Whistle" Thompson on April 13, 1942, in Greeley. The couple lived and worked in Grand Island, Omaha, New Jersey and Mississippi. They returned to Greeley in 1945. They purchased Whistle Thompson's Bar and operated it until 1991.
Mrs. Thompson sold Studio Girl and Avon cosmetics until her death. She was a member of the Avon Honor Society.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley, Catholic Daughters, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and American Legion Auxiliary. Her hobbies included crocheting, cards, bingo, slot machines, baking, dancing and crossword puzzles. She was an avid Dodgers fan.
Survivors include her husband; three sons, Thomas R. "Rocky" of Norfolk, Jim of Greeley and Bob of Scotia; four daughters, Shirley Mathewson of Papillion, Helen Kusek of Ord, Mary Scott of Greeley and Dede Thompson of Loveland, Colo.; 18 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, Leo "Bud" Rease of Lake Oswego, Ore.; and three sisters, Leona Pearson of Norfolk, Monica O'Neill of Omaha and Lucile Paladino of Omaha.
She was preceded in death by two sons, Harry and Larry; two daughters, Marjorie Ann and Loretta Kay; three brothers, Harry, Tom and Gerald; and four sisters, Gert, Madaline, Anna and Mary.
Marie Wieck
WORMS -- Marie M. Wieck, 85, of Worms died Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1998, at Community Care of America in Palmer.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church in Worms. The Rev. H. Matthew Schaefer will officiate. Burial will be in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the church.
Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wieck was born on July 26, 1912, on a farm west of Western to Ernest and Lena (Jordening) Schoenbeck. She attended Zion Lutheran School at Tobias and graduated from Western High School. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
She taught school for five years in Saline County and for five years at Zion Lutheran School in Worms.
She married
Oscar Wieck on Feb. 26, 1942, at Tobias. The couple lived on a farm near Worms. She later attended Kearney State College and taught at the Gage Valley School from 1960 to 1967.
Mr. Wieck died on April 15, 1970. Mrs. Wieck continued to live on the farm. She took a geriatric course in 1975 and worked at Coolidge Center in Palmer for five years. She entered Community Care of America in Palmer in September 1994.
She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and the Dorcas Ladies Aid. She was a former member of the Altar Guild and quilting group and was the Sunday school recorder. She enjoyed gardening and traveling.
Survivors include two sons, Danny Wieck and Gordon Wieck, both of Worms; four grandchildren; three step grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and three step great-grandchildren; one sister, Esther Bartels of Tobias; and one brother, Carl Schoenbeck of Daykin.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by an infant son; one sister, Lucille Meyer; and three brothers, Henry, Arthur and Ted Schoenbeck.
Marcella Homan
COLUMBUS -- Marcella Homan, 88, of Columbus died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998, at Columbus Community Hospital.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Isidore's Catholic Church in Columbus. The Rev. Joseph A. Miksch will officiate. Burial will be in St. Bonaventure's Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday at McKown Funeral Home in Columbus.
Memorials are suggested to the donor's choice.
Mrs. Homan was born on April 12, 1909, at Platte Center to Fred and Gertrude (Ripp) Goering. She graduated from St. Anthony's School in Cedar Rapids.
She married
Matt Homan on Aug. 25, 1930, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. They lived on a farm near Cedar Rapids until retiring and moving to Columbus in 1970.
She was a member of St. Isidore's Catholic Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Cedar Rapids Extension Club.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, Bill Homan of Columbus and Dick Homan of Grand Island; one daughter, Mary Jo Higginbotham of Council Bluffs, Iowa; 13 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Agnus Rau of Estes Park, Colo.
She was preceded in death by one son, Paul Homan; one great-granddaughter; and two brothers, Paul Goering and LaVern Goering.
Agnes Koza
Norfolk -- Agnes A. Koza, 92, of Norfolk died Monday, Jan. 12, 1998, at Heritage of Bel Air Nursing Home in Norfolk.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Norfolk. The Rev. Joseph Taphorn will officiate. Burial will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery.
Johnson-Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Koza was born on March 2, 1905, at Monowi to Joseph and Anna Riha.
She married
Wilmer Elstermeier in 1935 at Grand Island. He died on Aug. 6, 1951.
She married
Ben Koza in 1964 at Yankton, S.D. He died on Dec. 31, 1995. She sold Avon products in the Norfolk area for 25 years. She also co-owned and operated Koza's Market in Norfolk.
She was a member of Sacred Heart/St. Mary's Catholic Church in Norfolk.
Survivors include one brother, Frank Riha of Omaha.
In addition to her husband, she also was preceded in death by a son, Wilmer Elstermeier; four sisters and two brothers.
Howard Kelley
Howard N. Kelley, 86, of Grand Island died Thursday, Dec. 11, 1997, at his home.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Gollaher Chapel of Trinity United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jim Keyser will officiate.
Mr. Kelley was cremated. There will be no visitation.
Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer's Association.
Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Kelley was born on June 11, 1911, in Greeley County to Clarence and Millie (Allard) Kelley. He grew up on the family farm. He moved to Cedar Rapids as a boy and attended school there. He worked as an errand boy for a grocery store. He graduated from Cedar Rapids High School.
He married
Lois Read of Belgrade. They moved to Grand Island, and he opened Kelley's Market on the corner of 12th and Eddy in 1931.
Mr. Kelley's business interests included a number of real estate ventures. He enjoyed remodeling older buildings and built houses for his mother and his own family, as well as several apartment complexes and commercial properties. He also built a small chapel on his property on Capital Avenue.
Mr. and Mrs. Kelley retired in 1974 and enjoyed traveling until her death in 1978.
Mr. Kelley served two terms as president of the Grand Island school board.
He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where he served as an usher and was a member of the Men's Brotherhood.
Survivors include two sons, Robert Kelley of Lincoln and Donald Kelley of Rapid City, S.D.; one daughter, Barbara Kelley of Santa Barbara, Calif.; six grandchildren; one great-grandson; and one sister, Zella Kruse of Grand Island.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by an infant sister, Irene; and an older sister, Lillie Zapp.
