U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Berniece E. Arterburn
Berniece E. Arterburn, age 90, formerly of Ogallala, Neb., died at the Lantern Park Nursing and Rehab Center in Coralville, Iowa Thursday, March 9, 2006.
Berniece E. Kent Arterburn was born Feb. 28, 1916, on the Kent ranch in Chase County, Neb., the daughter of Elmer and Hazel Kent. She attended schools in Perkins County, Neb., graduating from Perkins High School in Grant, Neb. Upon graduation she taught grades one through eight at Perkins County Pride School for two years.
She married Fred A. Arterburn on May 24, 1936. The couple worked in the post office in Grant for eight years. During World War II, the couple moved to Texas where Fred was stationed for two years.
They moved back to Nebraska, settling in Ogallala in 1946. Here they became associated with the Sullivan Shoe Store, which they later purchased and it became the Arterburn Shoe Store.
Fred and Berniece had been married for over 45 years before Fred's death on May 5, 1981.
Berniece was the past president of BPW having been a member for over 40 years, serving as its district governor for a time. She was a charter member of the Women's Chamber of Commerce, having served as its president. She was a member of the Ogallala First United Methodist Church, serving as president of the Wesleyan Service Guild. For many years she sang in the choir, and filled in as pianist for many special occasions. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for over 50 years.
Berniece enjoyed music, baking, and playing bridge. In 1975 she and her husband received the Distinguished Service Award from the Women's Division of the Chamber of Commerce.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Fred; son, Kirk Arterburn; son-in-law, Dick Norton; brother, Gerald Kent, and a brother-in-law, Charles Tharp.
She is survived by a daughter, Connie Norton of Coralville, Iowa and her children, Randy Norton and his wife, Claire of Bloomington, Ill., and their children, Thomas, Carly, Allie, and Nick; Terry Norton and his wife, Deb of Altoona, Iowa and their children, Alex , Chris, and Katie; Cheri Amelon and her husband, John of Iowa City, Iowa and their children, Nolan, Dan and Bryan; daughter-in-law, Sharrel McBride Arterburn of Ogallala, and her children, Lance Arterburn and his wife, Becca of Brady, Neb., and their children, Christian, Kaleb, and Madyson; Kim Mestl and her husband, Chris of Ogallala, and their children, Maaika and Kira; sister, Gladys Tharp of Grant; and sister-in-law, Theone Kent of Grant.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at the Ogallala First United Methodist Church in Ogallala with Rev. Kelo Kaleuati officiating. Burial was at the Ft. McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Neb. A memorial fund has been established in Berniece's memory.
The Draucker Funeral Home of Ogallala was in charge of arrangements. The Gay and Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City, Iowa cared for the local arrangements.
Rolland Decker
Rolland Decker was born on Dec. 5, 1922 at Bridgman, Mich. He was the only son born to Roscoe and Orpha Liskey Decker.
Rolland attended high school in St. Joseph, Mich., and graduated in 1941. In high school he lettered in tennis.
Rolland joined the Army Air Force in January of 1943 during World War II. He was stationed in Cheyenne, Wyo., before serving overseas in the European Theater.
Rolland was married to Pauline Baehr on Aug. 19, 1944 in Greeley, Colo.
He was honorably discharged from the service in March of 1946 and in 1948 they moved to Beatrice, Neb., closer to Pauline's family.
Rolland worked for 17 years for Dempster Industries and later worked for Cominco Fertilizer northwest of Beatrice as a purchasing agent for 20 years before retiring in 1985.
Rolland was active in bowling, golf and coached both boys baseball and girls softball in the YRI leagues. He served as the secretary for the bowling league for 16 years and is in the Beatrice Bowling Hall of Fame.
He was an avid sports fan. Rolland and Pauline received the "Outstanding Sports Fan Award" from the Beatrice High School cheerleaders in 2004 for their support of the Beatrice Orangemen athletic teams through the years. He also followed the Perkins County Plainsmen, especially when his grandsons were participating. He loved the Nebraska Cornhuskers, especially the football team, and agonized with every loss.
Rolland was a longtime member of the St. John's Lutheran Church where he had served in many positions. He was a member of the Beatrice American Legion and the V.F.W. He had been a longtime member of the Beatrice Country Club. During his retirement he worked in the Pro Shop for several years.
Rolland had developed a malignancy earlier this winter and died at his home in Beatrice on Monday, March 13, 2006. He had reached the age of 83.
Rolland was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by those who loved him, his wife Pauline, two daughters Sandra Decker of Santa Fe, N.M. and Kris and husband John Long of Grant, Neb.; five grandchildren Lisa and husband Mike Charleton, Ryan and wife Michele Goetowski, J.J. and wife Nicole Long, Andrew and wife Kerri Long, Benjamin and wife Tiff Long; five great-grandchildren; many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 10 a.m., at the Beatrice St. John's Lutheran Church. Committal services will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Grant Cemetery.
Fox Funeral Home of Beatrice and Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant are in charge of arrangements.
Wyvonne Stokes
Wyvonne "Mickie" Stokes, 83, of Greeley, Colo., died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006 at Fairacres Manor in Greeley.
She was born Feb. 16, 1923 in Madrid, Neb., to Archie and Gladys (Kirk) McCormick.
Wyvonne graduated from Madrid High School in 1940.
In 1943 she train-ed with Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha where she met her husband to be.
On Jan. 23, 1944 she married Clifford Stokes in Mountain Home, Idaho. He was in the Air Force at that time. After being discharged, they moved to the Los Angeles area. The couple enjoyed a family vacation to Hawaii in 1986 and traveled frequently until her husband died in 1988.
She was employed by Pacific Iron and Steel, Rexall Drug Store, ABC Hardware and a plumbing company all in the Los Angeles area. She retired from bookkeeping in 1988.
In April 1993 Wyvonne moved to Greeley to be closer to her family. She lived in Foxhill Village until being moved to Garden Square Assisted Living due to failing health. She fell in November of 2005 and was moved to Life Care Center and then to Fairacres Manor.
Wyvonne enjoyed family outings and playing cards. She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Downey, Calif.
Survivors are one sister, Pat Goodrich and husband Larry of Greeley; three brothers, Leonard McCormick of Wheat Ridge, Colo., Francis "Mac" McCormick and wife, La Vaughn of Eaton, Colo., and Larry McCormick and wife Joan of Green Valley, Ariz. She is also survived by 10 nieces and nephews and many great-nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Elvin, and a sister-in-law, Fran McCormick.
Services were held Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006 at Adamson Memorial West Chapel. Interment followed at Linn Grove Cemetery in Greeley.
Adamson Memorial Chapels of Greeley, Colo., was in charge of arrangements.
Milo O. Smith
Milo O. Smith died Wednesday, March 8, 2006 at the El Dorado Manor Home in Trenton, Neb., at the age of 81.
He was born Jan. 13, 1925 at Grant, Neb., the son of the late Frank and Hazel Marie (Cronk) Smith. He grew up at Grant, where he graduated from Grant High School.
On Aug. 4, 1948 he married Ruthelma Ross at Haviland, Kan. They farmed in Colorado and Kansas before returning to the home place at Grant and also farmed west of Wauneta, Neb.
In the 1960s Milo began restoring antique cars and distributed parts all over the world.
He moved to McCook, Neb., in 1995 and had been at El Dorado Manor since December of 2005.
He was a member of the Bethel Missionary Church at Culbertson, Neb.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Wayne Smith; two sisters, Gail Smith and Jeanette Nation; and one granddaughter, Shauna Smith.
Milo is survived by one son, Frank Smith and wife Pam of Wauneta; three daughters, Sylvia Huskey and husband Charles of Omaha, Joyce Bley and husband Ron of Wauneta, and Mildred "Millie" Cruetzberg and husband John of Central City, Neb.; 10 grandchildren, Joe Huskey and wife Lara, Angela Hartshorn, Curt Huskey and wife Deitra, Frank Smith, Jr., Matthew Smith, Mike Bley and wife Tiffany, Jeremy Bley and wife Kara, Becky Houghton and husband Richard, Shellie Stull and husband Chad and Mark Cruetzberg; 15 great-grandchildren; one sister, Donna Smith and niece Karen Korelitz; relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held Friday, March 10, 2006 at the Bethel Missionary Church in Culbertson with Rev. Richard Karr officiating.
Interment was in the Fairview Cemetery in Grant.
Memorials may be given in his name.
Herrmann Funeral Home in McCook was in charge of arrangements.
Virgill "Bud" Clemens
Virgil Charles "Bud" Clemens, age 87, passed away March 7, 2006, at Linden Court in North Platte, Neb.
He was born on Sept. 2, 1918, on the family farm south of Wallace, Neb., to Charles and Lutie Scoffield Clemens. He attended Pleasant Valley Rural School and graduated from the eighth grade.
On Nov. 6, 1940 he married Doris Broyles in Woodston, Kan. They celebrated 65 years of marriage this last November. He served on Pleasant Valley School Board and the Wallace Assembly of God Church Board.
He was a successful farmer and a good provider for his family. His family was never in want of anything.
Bud was a kind, sincere and tender hearted man who really loved Jesus and served him with all his heart. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren were his pride and joy.
Survivors include his wife Doris of North Platte; two daughters Marcia and husband Rick Seip of Wallace, JoAnn and husband Steve Bottom of Grant, Neb; a son Vince and wife Kay Clemens of Wallace; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Marion and Guy and a sister Irene Thomas.
Funeral services were held Saturday, March 11, 2006, at Adams and Swanson Chapel with the Reverend Carey Higgins officiating. Burial was in the Morning View Cemetery south of Wallace.
Adams and Swanson Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.
Robert Jones
Robert L. Jones, 88, of Bladen, Neb., died Sunday, Feb. 26, 2006, at Grandview Manor in Campbell, Neb.
Jones was born Feb. 5, 1918, to Robert and Rena (Wolfe) Jones in Bladen.
He attended Fairview Country School in Adams County and graduated from Roseland High School in 1936. After graduation, he went to Tacoma, Wash., and worked for a disposal service for a short time. He returned to Adams County and worked for the Strasburg family.
In August 1940, he married Velma Hartman. They moved to Perkins County where he was employed by various farmers. They moved to Ayr, Neb., in 1943 and to Bladen in 1951. He farmed and worked for Adams County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, retiring in 1985. His wife died in March 1999.
Robert was a member of Bladen United Methodist Church, serving on the board. He also served on the Roseland Co-op Board, Silver Lake Township Board, East Lawn Cemetery Board, Adams County Extension Board and Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Survivors are two sons, Ed of Bladen and Andy of Holstein, Neb.; three sisters, LaVene Burge of Grant, Neb., Christian Mohlman of Blue Hill, Neb., and Delores Heurtz of Roseland, Neb.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services were held Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at the United Methodist Church in Bladen with Rev. Michael Burgess officiating.
Burial was at the East Lawn Cemetery in Bladen. Simonson-Williams Funeral Home in Red Cloud, Neb., was in charge of arrangements.
Louise Dougherty
Louise Dougherty, 101, of York, Neb., died Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006 at York.
She was born March 3, 1904 at Coldwater, Mich., to Benjamin Franklin and Amelia Elizabeth (Buckland) Hastings. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1925 with a teaching certificate. In 1929, she moved to York where she taught at York High School for several years before she met her future husband. On July 9, 1933 she was married to John Edward Dougherty at Grant, Neb.
She loved to travel, read and play bridge with her friends and family. She was a member of the Daughters of American Revolution and P.E.O. Chapter A.
She is survived by two grandsons, Jeff and his wife Karen Bartizal of Acton, Calif., and John and his wife Amy Bartizal of Tigard, Ore.; one granddaughter, Julie and her husband Dave Sears of Saugus, Calif.; six great-grandchildren and two nieces.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and one daughter.
Funeral services were Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Metz Chapel with Phil Towle officiating. Burial was in St. Joseph's Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to the Kilgore Memorial Library, the Yorkshire Playhouse or to the York Community Foundation.
Condolences may be directed to the family at metz@metzmor-tuary.com.
Metz Mortuary in York was in charge of arrangements.
Raymond Lashley
Raymond Lashley was born on Nov. 3, 1914 in Hayes County, Nebraska. He was the third of four children born to Walter and Neilsine Kristiansen Lashley. Raymond grew up on the family farm and attended rural school south of Hayes Center, Neb.
Raymond worked for Clarence and Elva Schneider on their farm northwest of Culbertson, Neb. Clarence died in an airplane crash and Raymond later married Elva on Oct. 6, 1957.
Raymond and Elva maintained the farm until 1965 when they moved into McCook, Neb. While living in McCook, Raymond worked for Kleins Motor and Electric.
Elva died in 1989 and Raymond moved to Wallace in 1991 to be closer to his niece, Karen Gibson. He moved to the Golden Ours Convalescent Home in Grant in 1993 where he died on Saturday afternoon, March 4, 2006. He had reached the age of 91.
Raymond attended the Assembly of God Church when living in McCook and regularly attended the Sunday Chapel at Golden Ours. He enjoyed raising fruits and vegetables in his garden and canning after they had been harvested. He was also an accomplished baker.
In addition to his parents and wife, Raymond was preceded in death by two brothers, Leonard and George Lashley; one sister, Mamie Merrill; two half-brothers, Hans and Nels Hansen and one half-sister, Millie Bible; many nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
Graveside services were held Tuesday, March 7, 2006 at Memorial Park Cemetery in McCook with John Long officiating.
Casket bearers were Ben Lashley, Jerry Gibson, Brian Gibson, Darrel Messersmith, Delbert Hansen and Ken Marquardt.
Interment was in the Memorial Park Cemetery.
Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant was in charge of arrangements.
