U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Dorothy Selden
DANNEBROG -- Dorothy Selden, 88, of Dannebrog, died Saturday, Sept. 12, 1998, at Warrensburg, Mo.
Services are pending at Jacobsen Funeral Home in St. Paul.
Josephine Wetovick
KEARNEY -- Josephine E. Wetovick, 90, of Kearney died Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998, at the Good Samaritan Hospital where she had been a patient for eight days.
Services were Saturday at St. James Catholic Church with the Revs. Jim Golka, Tom Ryan and Tom Mullowney officiating. Burial was in the Kearney Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to the St. James Catholic Church or the Good Samaritan Hospital Heart Fund.
Horner-Lieske-Horner Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Wetovick was born on Jan. 14, 1908, to John and Mary (Manion) Mahony in Boone County near Cedar Rapids. She graduated from Cedar Rapids High School in 1923 and attended Hastings College where she received her teaching certificate. She taught in rural schools near Cedar Rapids.
She married
Edward J. Wetovick on June 10, 1930. She was a court reporter for the federal courts in Omaha and the district courts in Grand Island and Kearney until she retired in 1978.
She had been a resident of Kearney since 1942 and was a member of St. James Catholic Church, Kearney DOES, Court Reporters Association and NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees). She was a past president of the Altar and Rosary Society at St. James and served as secretary for the State Democratic Party.
Survivors include three sons, Bob of Alda, Don of Omaha and Jerry of Cozad; one daughter, Sharon Spencer of Broomfield, Colo.; 13 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband on May 11, 1990; one grandson; two sisters and five brothers.
Susan M. Hoops
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Susan M. Hoops, 53, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Monday, Aug. 31, 1998, at her home.
Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Phillips cemetery in Phillips. The Rev. Gary Schulte will officiate. There will be no visitation. Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Miss Hoops was born Nov. 24, 1944, at Grand Island to B.E. and Roberta L. (Casler) Hoops. She attended school in Grand Island and received a nursing degree from Kearney State College. She moved to Denver, Colo. where she was a nurse for 15 years. She moved to Phoenix, Ariz., to continuing nursing and later became a security officer at the Arizona Center.
Survivors include a brother, Don Hoops of Grand Island.
She was preceded in death by her parents and an infant brother.
Robert Coker
Robert Sherburne Coker, 75, of Grand Island died Friday, Aug. 21, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Messiah Lutheran Church. The Revs. Doug Stensby, Gretchen Diers and David Ehline will officiate. A private family burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m., with the family receiving friends from 5 to 8 p.m., Sunday at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the Carol Joy Holling Camp.
Mr. Coker was born on Jan. 13, 1923, at Waukesha, Wis., to Roland S. and Leola M. (Fogg) Coker. In 1927, he and his family moved to Durham, N.H., where he attended elementary school. He graduated from Dover High School in Dover, N.H., in 1940 and then attended the University of New Hampshire, where he competed on the cross-country team.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on July 13, 1942, at Camp Langdon, N.H., and was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant on March 2, 1946, at Fort Devens, Mass. He served on B-29 crews as a flight gunnery instructor.
He married
Irma Marie Lorenzen on Aug. 12, 1945, in Grand Island. The couple lived in Grand Island. His wife died in 1968. He became a painter and wallpaper hanger and formed Coker Wallpapering in 1984 following 31 years with Benzel and Dietrich Painters. He was business agent of the Painters Union for several years. He retired from the business in October 1997.
He was a member of Messiah Lutheran Church, was a delegate to meetings of the Nebraska Synod, served on the congregation council and on numerous committees. He spent 10 years during the 1950s and '60s coaching Little League teams and a Little Bigger League team. He was a member of the Platt-Duetsche Society, the Liederkranz and for more than 60 years the Jeremiah Smith Grange 161 of Lee, N.H.
Survivors include two sons, David Coker of Stanton, Iowa, and Van Coker of Lincoln; one daughter, Nathalie Fitzgerald of Waverly; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, Roland S. Coker Jr. of Barrington, N.H.; and a special friend, Violet Munn of Central City.
Ethel Martinsen
Ethel B. Martinsen, 103, of Park Place Health Care and Rehab Center died Friday, Aug. 21, 1998, at Park Place.
Services are pending with Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
More details will appear.
'Eileen' Kurtenbach
GREELEY -- Helen "Eileen" Kurtenbach, 75, of Greeley died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1998, at the Skilled Nursing Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley. Father Harold Kurtenbach will officiate. Burial will be in Sacred Heart cemetery at Greeley.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m., with rosaries at 4 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the church.
T.J. Finn and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Kurtenbach was born on Feb. 12, 1923, at Greeley to Joseph T. and Mary L. (Harris) Kurtenbach. She was raised and attended school in Greeley and graduated from Greeley Sacred Heart Catholic School in 1941. After graduating, she was a secretary in Greeley working at the Greeley County Courthouse and the Greeley Citizen.
She married
John J. "Jack" Kurtenbach on Jan. 26, 1948, at Greeley. They lived in Greeley County, where they farmed until 1951. They then moved into Greeley. Mr. Kurtenbach died in June 1979, and Mrs. Kurtenbach remained in Greeley until her death.
She was a member of the Greeley Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where she also served in the Altar Society and was a Catholic Daughter. She belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary. She enjoyed reading and sewing. In 1936, when she was in the eighth grade, she was champion of the state spelling contest.
Survivors include five sons, Tom of Rochester, N.Y., Jim of Grand Island, Ed of Omaha, Dan of Fairfax, Va., and Joe of Denver; four daughters, Kathleen Kurtenbach and Mary Kurtenbach, both of Omaha, Ann McMorrow of Grand Island and Karen Glesinger of Spalding; and 15 grandchildren.
Other than her husband, she was preceded in death by one son, Robert; and two brothers, Maurice and Larry.
Stanley Wardyn
LOUP CITY -- Stanley Wardyn, 93, of Loup City died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1998, at Community Care of America in Grand Island.
Services are pending with Peters Funeral Home of Loup City.
Gary Welsh
COMSTOCK -- Gary L. Welsh, 58, of Comstock died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1998, at the Jennie Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Douglas Grove cemetery in Comstock. The Rev. Don Schauda will officiate. Burial will be with military services.
There will be no visitation.
Rhoad Funeral Home in Sargent is in charge of arrangements.
Marvin Johnson
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Marvin P. Johnson, 55, of Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Grand Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1998, at his home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Baptist Church in Tucson with the Rev. John Dickens Jr. officiating.
Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society.
Heather Mortuary in Tucson is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Johnson was born on July 23, 1943, to Paul and Cecelia Johnson. He graduated from Wood River High School. He lived in Grand Island until 1973 before moving to Tucson.
He and his wife, Marjean, were married
on Dec. 23, 1970, in Grand Island.
He was a member of the IBEW and chairman of the executive board of Local 2223. He was an electrician and worked for BHP Copper Mine from 1973 until his death.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Samantha Johnson of Indiana and Sonia L. (Mrs. Gabriel) Lopez of Tucson; one son, Marvin Johnson of Tucson; five grandchildren; three sisters, Marie Walters, Mary Richardson and Marian Walters, all of Nebraska; and a brother, Mark Johnson of Oklahoma.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Marshall.
