U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Joseph Syslo
Joseph Dennis Syslo, 86, of the Grand Island Veterans Home, formerly of Cedar Rapids, died Wednesday, March 4, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. The Rev. Urban Schmitt will officiate. Burial will be in St. Anthony's Catholic cemetery with military rites conducted by Dan Cox American Legion Post 44.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m., with a 4 p.m. rosary and 7 p.m. wake service, Friday at Levander Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids. Visitation will continue Saturday morning until service time at the funeral home.
Mr. Syslo was born on April 12, 1911, at Tarnov to Stanley and Cecelia (Kush) Syslo. He attended St. Michael's School at Tarnov.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army on May 2, 1942, lost his leg on Oct. 8, 1944, in Germany and received a medical discharge on July 26, 1945. He was awarded the good conduct ribbon, three Bronze Campaign Stars, the Purple Heart with one oak-leaf cluster and the European-African-Middle Eastern theater ribbon.
Following his discharge, he lived on a small farm southwest of Cedar Rapids. He entered the Grand Island Veterans Home in August 1994.
He was a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church of Cedar Rapids and a lifetime member of the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans.
Survivors include three brothers, Bernard of Cedar Rapids, Ray of Coffeyville, Kan., and Stanley of Platte Center; and two sisters, Florence Lassek and Meryncia (Mrs. Frank) Dlugosz, all of Omaha.
She was preceded in death by four brothers, Emil, Dennis, Alois and Alphonse; and three sisters, Rose and Theresa Syslo and Marge Moore.
Maybelle Campbell
KEARNEY -- Maybelle Campbell, 84, of Kearney died Thursday, March 5, 1998, at her home.
Arrangements are pending with Horner-Lieske-Horner Funeral Home in Kearney.
Genevieve Darling
ALBION -- Genevieve M. Darling, 85, of Albion died Wednesday, March 4, 1998, at Wolf Memorial Good Samaritan Center in Albion.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the United Methodist Church in Loretto. The Rev. Eric Biehl will officiate. Burial will be in the Main cemetery at Belgrade.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Levander Funeral Home in Albion.
Frank Reed
ANSLEY -- Frank Reed, 85, of Ansley died Thursday, March 5, 1998, at Jennie Melham Hospital in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Ansley. The Rev. J. Green will officiate. Burial will be in the Ansley Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow and from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the church.
Memorials have been established to the church and the Ansley Rescue Unit.
Mr. Reed was born on Nov. 24, 1912, at Crab Orchard to Matthew and Myrtie (Hutchison) Reed. He moved to the Algernon community in Custer County in 1918. He attended Algernon School through the eighth grade and graduated from Ansley High School in 1930.
He married
Velma Niersteimer on Aug. 20, 1940, at the Custer County Fair. They lived in Blaine County for one year and moved to the Algernon community between Mason City and Ansley in 1941.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Ansley, the Algernon school board, the Ansley Township Board and the Odd Fellows.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Larry Reed and Lonnie Reed, both of Ansley; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one brother, Delbert Reed of Bellingham, Wash.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Alta Morris; and three brother, Lloyd Reed and two infant brothers.
Ronald Rystrom
STROMSBURG -- Ronald Alvin Rystrom, 71, of Stromsburg died Wednesday, March 4, 1998, at Annie Jeffery Memorial Hospital in Osceola.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Stromsburg United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jeffrey Thurman will officiate.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Columbus Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday at Palmer Funeral Home in Stromsburg.
Mr. Rystrom was born on Nov. 6, 1926, at York to Frank and Ella (Rocklitz) Rystrom. He attended Willow Hedge Country School near Stromsburg and graduated from Stromsburg High School in 1943.
Mr. Rystrom served in the Philippines with the U.S. Army until 1946 during World War II. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1950.
He worked for the Nebraska Department of Roads before moving to California for a brief time.
He married
Betty Lou Nelson in June 1952. He moved back to Nebraska and worked for the Department of Roads until becoming project engineer for VanDorn Hazard while building the Topeka, Kan., Turnpike. He then served as city engineer for Grand Island and Columbus.
He began Rystrom Engineering in Columbus in 1970 and sold the business in 1984. Mrs. Rystrom died in February 1981.
Mr. Rystrom married
Carol Young on Oct. 13, 1984, at Syracuse. They moved to Papillion, where he was Sarpy County surveyor and engineer for four years.
They moved to Stromsburg in July 1991. He was serving his second term as a Polk County commissioner.
He was a member of the Nebraska Civil Engineer and Professional Surveyors, Nebraska Association of County Officials, Nebraska State Central Committee for Republicans and American Legion Post 132 of Stromsburg. He was active in youth baseball and was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church in Stromsburg and the church's men's organization.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Richard of Lincoln; one daughter, Marcia (Mrs. Scott) Wilson of Omaha; one stepson, Jay of Lincoln; one stepdaughter, Julie (Mrs. Don) Berger of Lincoln; one grandson; three step grandchildren; and one brother, Mervin of Stromsburg.
Besides his first wife, he was preceded in death by three brothers, Dennis, Delwyn and Darwin.
Wilfred Safarik
ST. PAUL -- Wilfred E. Safarik, 90, of St. Paul died Thursday, March 5, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Michael McDermott will officiate. Burial will be in St. Wenceslaus cemetery west of St. Paul.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Peters Funeral Home in St. Paul and from 6 to 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. wake service, Sunday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the St. Wenceslaus cemetery Fund.
Mr. Safarik was born on March 15, 1907, near Farwell to James and Anna (Jelinek) Safarik. He grew up on the family farm and was educated at District 52 School.
He married
Isabelle Chalupsky on June 30, 1931, at Elba. In 1932, the couple built a new home northwest of Farwell, where they started their farming and livestock operations. He worked as an investigator for the new corn-hog program in the late 1930s.
He raised sorrel Belgian horses, which he used in his early years of farming. The family moved to a farm north of Farwell in 1950. He continued to farm until 1983, when the couple moved to St. Paul. Mr. Safarik continued to be involved in the family farming operation until poor health forced his retirement.
Mrs. Safarik died on Oct. 14, 1996.
Mr. Safarik was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and a former District 52 and the Farwell school board member. The family was awarded the Ak-Sar-Ben Pioneer Farm Award in 1993, recognizing family farms for more than 100 years. He enjoyed hunting, reading and studying law.
Survivors include one son, Rick Safarik of Farwell; three daughters, Betty (Mrs. Gilbert) Spilger of Grand Island, Shirley, (Mrs. John) Jarzynka of St. Paul and Noreen (Mrs. Jim) Malone of Plano, Texas; nine grandchildren; one step granddaughter; two great-grandchildren; one brother, John Safarik of Elba; and two sisters, Emma Christensen of St. Paul and Hilda Spilinek of Elba.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by an infant brother, James.
