U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Earl Schmidt
Earl H. "Smitty" Schmidt, 76, of Grand Island died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999, at the Grand Island Veterans Home.
Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Anne Simmons
Anne C. Simmons, 98, of Grand Island, formerly of Hastings, died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1999, at the Grand Island Veterans Home.
Arrangements are pending with Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Stanley Kovarik
BURWELL -- Stanley J. Kovarik Sr., 91, of Burwell died Monday, Feb. 1, 1999, at the Valley County Hospital in Ord.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Burwell. The Rev. Bernard Berger will officiate. Burial will be in Cottonwood cemetery in Burwell.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., with a wake service at 7 p.m., Thursday at the church. Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the church, crippled children or the Burwell Volunteer Fire Department.
Mr. Kovarik was born on July 6, 1907, to John and Antonia (Felanek) Kovarik. He lived and attended grade school in Valley County. He was active in Sokol, Czech gymnastics and activities at National Hall.
He married
Bessie Hulinsky on April 2, 1929, at Ord. They lived and farmed in Valley and Garfield counties until he retired in 1976, when they moved to Burwell.
He liked to play cards and had been active in the church.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Stan of Burwell, Frank of Loup City and Bob of Anaheim, Calif.; two daughters, Evelyn Kovarik and Marilyn (Mrs. Al) Dempsey of Denver; 24 grandchildren; 57 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and four sisters, Alice (Mrs. Earl) Stutz of San Lorenza, Calif., Lillian Kovarik and Irene Kovarik, both of Denver, and Marie (Mrs. Tom) Pearce of Buffalo, Wyo.
He was preceded in death by one son, Eldon; one daughter, Betty Parkos; three grandsons; two great-grandsons; two brothers, Joe and Frank; and one sister Anna Kovarik.
James Lowell Sr.
GIBBON -- James R. Lowell Sr., 77, of Gibbon died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
No services are planned. Burial will be in Resthaven Memory Gardens in Fort Collins, Colo.
Godberson Mortuary of Gibbon/Shelton is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Lowell was born on July 25, 1921, on a farm south of Gibbon to Elton and Margaret (Glitz) Lowell. He attended District 42 School and graduated from Gibbon High School in 1939.
He farmed with his father before going into the Army in 1945 and spending a year in Japan.
He married
Norma Jones on July 25, 1944, in Smith Center, Kan. Upon his return from the Army, he farmed for eight years in the Gibbon area.
They moved in 1956 to Fort Collins, Colo., where he operated a Texaco gas station for 11 years. He worked for Heath Farm Equipment for five years, making beet machinery. He went to work for Eastman-Kodak at Windsor, Colo., in 1973 and retired in 1983. He later moved back to Gibbon.
Survivors include one son, James Jr. of Fort Collins, Colo.; three daughters, Sue (Mrs. Jeff) Wooldridge and Cheryl Vanderwyk, both of Fort Collins, and Cynthia (Mrs. Ron) Gibbs of Pine River, Minn.; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Winona Zwink of Gibbon.
He was preceded in death by his wife and a grandson.
Thomas McFadden
GREELEY -- Thomas J. McFadden, 89, of Greeley died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Greeley Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Rev. Gerald Carlson will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m., with rosaries at 4 and 7 p.m., Friday at the church. T.J. Finn and Sons Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Association or Boys Town.
Mr. McFadden was born on Jan. 17, 1910, six miles west of Greeley to Thomas C. and Bridget (Faherty) McFadden. He grew up and was educated in Greeley County.
He married
Nora L. Wonders in 1939 at Greeley. At the age of 30, he moved to the West Coast, where he worked in the shipyards. He then lived in Ord for 17 years, working as highway superintendent for the Nebraska Department of Roads.
He retired in 1980 and returned to Greeley.
He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley.
Survivors include one daughter, Marion"Mickey"; one sister, Mary Brick of Seal Beach, Calif.; and one brother, Gene McFadden of Pharr, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his wife; four brothers, Larry, Jerry, Ed and Lee; one sister, Anna; two half brothers, Jim and Ton; and one half sister, Cecilia.
Betty Wetzel
HENDERSON -- Betty L. Wetzel, 57, of Henderson, formerly of Gibbon, died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999, at York.
Memorial services will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home in Grand Island. The Rev. Jim Keyser will officiate. Mrs. Wetzel was cremated, and burial will be at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to the Hospice Foundation.
She was born on Nov. 6, 1941, at Grand Island to Vernon and Evelyn (Fleshman) Wetzel. She grew up and was educated at Grand Island.
She married
Clayton Millspaugh in December 1959 at St. Paul. The couple lived in Iowa. She returned to Grand Island for a short time before moving to Gibbon, where she owned and operated Jeff's Five Star Motel and Betty's I-80 Budget Motel in Odessa for approximately 10 years.
She then moved to Henderson. She was a self-educated businesswoman. She enjoyed playing cards and occasionally gambling at the casinos. She enjoyed flowers and being outside.
Survivors include one daughter, Peggy (Mrs. Michael) Bullers of York; one son, Keith Millspaugh of Grand Island; five grandchildren; two brothers, Vernon of Palmer and John of St. Libory; and one sister, Linda (Mrs. Larry) Lorenzen of St. Libory.
Her husband died on Jan. 14, 1988. She also was preceded in death by her parents and one sister, Helen.
Jerome Consbruck
JUNIATA -- Jerome G. "Red" Consbruck, 68, of Juniata, died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Assumption Catholic Church. The Rev. Thomas Au will officiate. Burial with military rites will be in Assumption Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Butler-Volland Funeral Home in Hastings. A rosary will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Further visitation will be one hour before services Saturday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to American Legion Post 365 of Juniata or the American Lung Association.
Mr. Consbruck was born on Dec. 5, 1930, in Adams County to Anthony N. and Frances E. (Hemberger) Consbruck.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from Sept. 24, 1950, to Nov. 20, 1953, and was a prisoner of war.
He married
Rosemarie Sims on April 14, 1956. He was a farmer and a lifelong resident of Adams County.
He was a member of Assumption Catholic Church and American Legion Post 365 in Juniata. He was also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Third-Degree Knights of Columbus, all of Hastings. He was also a member of the American Ex-POWs.
Survivors include his wife; four daughters, Valerie Consbruck of Hastings, Vicki (Mrs. John) Fasnacht of Lincoln and Gina (Mrs. Dennis) Schneider and Melva (Mrs. Kevin) Pavelka, both of Kearney; three sons, Bill of Juniata, Jeff of Hastings and Doug of Gibbon; nine grandchildren; one sister, Bernadine Harms of Hastings; and three brothers, James of Monroeville, Pa., Leonard of Trumbull and Richard of Hastings.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Don and Joseph.
