U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Daryl Sorensen
Daryl Lee Sorensen, age 37, of Imperial, Neb., died June 7, 2005.
Daryl Lee Sorensen was born Feb. 17, 1968 at Minden, Neb. to Ronald and Linda (Hultgren) Sorensen.
He was baptized on March 10, 1968 in St. John's Church at Minden, Neb. He received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of confirmation on the 24th day of April, 1980, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church at Seward, Nebraska.
Daryl moved to Milford with his family at an early age and attended Milford Public Schools. He enjoyed participating in football, basketball and played trumpet at Milford.
He graduated from Milford High School in 1986. He then attended Curtis Technical College where he played basketball, graduating in 1988. Daryl worked during and after college as a DJ.
After his education Daryl worked various jobs at various places. He moved to Imperial, Neb. in 1995 where he worked for Frenchman Valley Coop.
He was united in marriage to Jennifer McNabb on June 19, 1999 at Imperial, Neb.
They moved to Longmont, Colo. in 2000 where he worked as a car salesman and also worked for Beverage Express as a delivery truck driver.
He moved back to Imperial, Neb. in October 2002. He drove truck for Mock Trucking before becoming an Independent owner-operator.
Daryl loved to rodeo, he rode bulls-one of his rodeo highlights was getting on the famous bull "Red Rock." His other interests included music, team roping, skiing, riding jet skis, dancing. He especially loved spending time with his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife Jennifer of Imperial; two sons, Cody of Leigh, Neb. and Trevor of Imperial, Neb.; parents, Ron and Linda Sorensen of Milford, Neb.; four brothers, Roger and wife Cindy, Keith and wife Peggy, Kurt and wife Tiffany and Kyle, all of Milford, Neb.; and numerous other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Anton and Irene Sorensen and Charles and Cleo Hultgren.
Funeral services were held Friday, June 10, 2005, at 2 p.m. MST at Crossroads Wesleyan Church at Imperial with Rev. Todd Burpo officiating.
Casketbearers were Mark Schilke, Travis Hieber, Michael Nelson, Kevin Weiss, Brent Thelander and Kody Weiss.
Honorary casketbearers were Roger and Cindy Sorensen, Kurt and Tiffany Sorensen, Keith and Peggy Sorensen and Kyle Sorensen.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Interment was at Blue Mound cemetery at Milford, Neb. on Saturday, June 11, 2005, at 2 p.m. CST. with Rev. Rand Langhorst.
Virgil Sandman
Virgil Eugene Sandman, 88, of Wauneta, Neb., passed away on Thursday, June 9, 2005, at the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial, Neb.
Virgil gave his life to Jesus on March 15, 1992. He chose Christian Faith Outreach as his home church, but is now celebrating with his Lord in heaven.
Virgil was born to Ralph and Gertrude Sandman on Feb. 19, 1917, in Harbine, Neb. Along with his parents and nine brothers and sisters, he moved to Wauneta, Neb., in 1934. He graduated from Wauneta High School in 1935.
After graduation from high school, he worked in California, but with a love for farming, he couldn't stay away from Nebraska. He returned to farm for a time before enlisting in the Navy on Aug. 12, 1942. During his service time he was chosen from his battleship, the USS William D. Porter, to go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for additional training in electronics. He completed his training and was discharged on Dec. 23, 1945.
Virgil married
the love of his life, Eda Marie Snoke, on Oct. 6, 1946. They were blessed with four children, Nik, Cindy, Kirk and Melody. The family has continued to grow adding two daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, 11 grandchildren of whom three are married
and three great grandchildren. He loved his family very much and having everyone together brought him great joy.
Virgil's community involvement included serving as a board member for Wauneta Public Schools, Palisade Soil and Water Conservation District and the Farmer's Coop. Exchange. He was also an FFA Charter Member, 4-H Leader and a member of the American Legion and VFW.
He was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, three sisters and one grandson, Andrew Sandman.
Virgil is survived by his wife, Eda Marie (Snoke) Sandman of Wauneta; children and families Nik and Colleen Sandman of Wauneta, Amy and Tim, Ben and David; Cindy West of Lincoln and Nathan; Kirk and Cindy Sandman of Wauneta, Derek and Allison Sandman, Haylee and Alexa, Seri and Jesse Neal and Addison, Ane Sandman, Tami Sandman; Melody and Mike Kenney of Lincoln, Beth and Paul; one brother, Charles Sandman of Benkelman; five sisters-in-law; two brothers-in-law and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and friends.
Pallbearers were Derek Sandman, Paul Kenney (absent), Ben Sandman, Nathan West, David Sandman, Jesse Neal and Tim Smith.
Honorary pallbearer was Andrew Sandman.
Visitation was at Liewer Funeral Home in Wauneta on Sunday, June 12, 2005, from 3-6 p.m.
Memorial services for Virgil were held on Monday, June 13, 2005, at Christian Faith Outreach in Imperial, Neb., with interment at Wauneta's Riverside Cemetery.
A memorial is being established in honor of Virgil.
Liewer Funeral Home of Wauneta was in charge of arrangements.
Mike Van Vleet
Mike Van Vleet of Bandera, Texas, formerly of Imperial, died as the result of an auto accident Monday morning, June 6, 2005.
Mike is the son of Wes Van Vleet of Bandera and a brother of Pam Leibhart of Imperial.
Funeral services are pending.
Joel Smith
Joel Lee Smith, 52, of rural Auburn died June 3, 2005, at Bryan LGH Hospital in Lincoln due to injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident which occurred that same day.
Two males from Peru also suffered injuries in the 3:30 p.m. Friday collision approximately five miles west of Auburn.
Nemaha County Sheriff Brent Lottman said a vehicle driven by Timothy Potter, 34, of Peru was eastbound on 730 Road when he failed to stop at a stop sign. His vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by Smith which was northbound on 634 Avenue.
All three occupants of the vehicles were transported to Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn by Auburn Rescue Squad and later transferred to a hospital in Lincoln.
Potter and a passenger Jeremy Cornell weren't wearing seat belts and were ejected from their vehicle. It was unknown if Smith was wearing a seat belt. Sheriff Lottman said the Sheriff's Office is continuing with the accident investigation.
Smith is survived by his wife, Sylvia Smith of Auburn; children, Mathew Smith, Nicole Smith and Meredith Smith of Auburn; parents, Max and Loretta Smith, Auburn; brother, Dale Smith of Lincoln; and sister, Barbara Mecklem of Lyman. He is the son-in-law of Dean and Roma Jean Burtis of Imperial.
Funeral services for Smith were held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 8 at the Brock United Methodist Church.
Committal services followed in the Lafayette cemetery near Brock.
Story courtesy of the Auburn newspaper.
Jack W. Sandman
Jack William Sandman was born April 28, 1921 at Beatrice, Neb. to Ralph and Gertrude (Richards) Sandman.
The family resided in Harbine, Neb. until moving to Wauneta in 1934.
Jack graduated from Wauneta Rural High School in 1939.
Jack worked for Lockheed Aircraft Corp. in Burbank, Calif. during the war years. After this, he moved back to Wauneta and began farming.
On Jan. 18, 1948 Jack was united in marriage to Verna Maxine Brown. To this union were born Bill, Jackie, Janice, Vicki and Greg.
Jack and Verna farmed south of Wauneta until moving off the family farm in 1983. They moved to Wauneta in 1991. Jack was a member of Mt. Zion Methodist Church, served on the Wauneta school board and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Oddfellows.
Jack was always committed to seeking equitable prices for farmers. In this regard, he was active in the National Farmers Organization (NFO) for many years and the National Organization for Raw Materials (NORM).
Survivors include his wife, Verna; sons, Bill and wife Deb of Kearney and Greg and wife Sandy of Curtis; daughters, Jackie Dewey and husband Terry of Grand Island, Janice Allen and husband Doug of North Platte, Vicki Grimes and husband Gary of Wauneta; 12 grandchildren, Stacey Bauer and husband Lance of Odessa, Brian J. Sandman and wife Caci of Buhler, Kan., Danielle Oakman and husband Chad, Nicole Hainke, Seth Dewey, all of Grand Island, Jennifer Harris and husband Jim, Aric and Chad Allen, all of Imperial; Ashli Cox and husband Toby of Hayes Center and Jack D. Grimes of Wauneta, Jacob and Daniel Sandman of Curtis; 12 great grandchildren, Alec and Abbie Bauer of Odessa, Mayson Sandman of Wauneta and Cacia Sandman of Buhler, Kan., Gavin, Courtney and Collin Oakman of Grand Island, Aiden Hainke of Grand Island, Tanner and Jade Harris of Imperial, Sarah Davis of Imperial, Kyler Cox of Hayes Center; brothers, Virgil Sandman and wife Edie and Charlie Sandman of Benkelman; brothers-in-law, Bill Neverve of Kansas City, Mo., Wilbur Brown of Elm Creek, Wayne Brown of Lexington; sisters-in-law, Ona Sandman of Cambridge, Bonnie Sandman of Salem, Ore. as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Clarence, Ralph Jr., Richard and Gary; sisters, Leah Wicke, Bernice Yandle and Irma Neverve.
Memorial services were held Tuesday, June 7 at the United Methodist Church in Wauneta at 10:30 a.m., with Pastor Judy Dye officiating.
Organist was Mrs. Lucille McBride and Mrs. Sharon Walgren was soloist.
Inurnment was at Riverside cemetery following the memorial service.
Honorary pallbearers were Jack's grandsons: Brian Sandman, Seth Dewey, Aric Allen, Chad Allen, Jack D. Grimes, Jacob Sandman and Daniel Sandman.
A memorial has been established in his memory.
Liewer Funeral Home of Wauneta was in charge of arrangements.
Carol J. Cunningham
Carol Jean Cunningham, 61, of Golden, Colo. died suddenly Monday, May 30, 2005.
She was born Aug. 25, 1943, in Imperial, Neb. She was the third of six children born to Cecil and Selma (Ohmie) Gardner.
Carol was baptized at infancy and was confirmed in Denver at the St. John's Lutheran Church.
She was raised on a farm northwest of Imperial attending rural grade school District #22.
The family moved to town during her high school years and she worked with various local cafes starting to pay her own way in life. Upon graduating from Chase County High School, her parents made arrangements for her to attend Parks Business School of Banking in Denver, Colo.
Carol was employed many years with the city and county of Denver in the visiting nurse service, till she made a career change shortly after her mother's death, eventually being employed by the US Postal Service till her death.
She was united in marriage to James B. Cunningham Sept. 12, 1982, in Las Vegas, Nev.
Carol loved to do many things whether it was cooking, shopping, traveling around with her husband Jim, visiting her sister Patty in Nebraska, sharing quality time with friend and confidant Dorothea, or just talking on the phone with a family member or friend.
Carol is preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Selma Gardner; brothers Dean and Don Gardner; father-in-law, Bernard Cunningham; and sister-in-law, Mary Lou Faulkner.
She is survived by her husband, James Cunningham of Golden, Colo.; sisters, Patty Houghton and husband Dick of Imperial, Neb., Colleen Lynch and husband Herb of Lakewood, Colo. and Nancy Gardner of Arvada, Colo; mother-in-law, Margaret Cunningham of New York; brother-in-law, John Cunningham and wife Sharon of New Mexico; sisters-in-law Nancy Miner of New York and Sharon Cunningham of Minnesota; nieces and nephews, Susie Jones and husband Gil and children Gary and Jennifer, Ron Gardner and wife Pam and children Matthew and Lacy, Dwight Gardner and wife Lorie, Sandy Coon and husband Mike, Richard Houghton and wife Becky, Herbert Lynch II, Matthew Lynch, Stephanie Miner and Erin Faulkner and Keith Cunningham; as well as aunts, cousins and friends.
Funeral services were held Friday, June 3, 2005, at 2 p.m. at the Olinger Towes of Memories Chapel with Rev. George Berlin officiating.
Hymns "Amazing Grace" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" organist and soloist Jon Orndorf.
Pallbearers were her nephews Ronald and Dwight Gardner, Micheal Coon, Richard Houston, Herbert and Matthew Lynch.
Interment was in Olinger Crown Hill cemetery in Wheatridge, Colo.
Memorials will be given to Arvada Firestation Rescue Unit.
James Kelso
James Kelso was born on Aug. 3, 1944 in Ogallala, Neb. He was the third of five children born to Thomas Jefferson and Della Jensen Kelso.
Jim grew up in Madrid, Neb., graduating from Madrid High School in 1963.
He joined the United States Army in 1966, serving for two years which included duty in Europe before his honorable discharge in 1968.
Jim lived in Denver and was married
to Gina Sanchez in 1971. While in Denver, Jim worked for Coors Distributing.
In 1988 he moved to Arizona and later Las Vegas where he drove a truck, transporting vegetables.
He returned to Denver in 2000.
Jim had developed a malignancy in March of 2004 and had moved to Imperial, Neb., last November to be closer to family.
He moved to Ogallala, and was living at Indian Hills Manor Nursing Home when he died Sunday night, May 22, 2005. He had reached the age of 60.
Jim was a lifetime member of the V.F.W. and had belonged to the Longmont American Legion.
He is survived by two sons, Jacob Kelso and Sal Sanchez, both of Las Vegas; one daughter, Danielle Kelso of Tempe, Ariz.; his parents, Tom Kelso in Denver and Della McCormick in Dacona, Colo.; two brothers, Gary of Arvada, Colo., and Loren and wife Betty of Denver; two sisters, Carol and husband Dan Seiler of Ogallala and Venita Kimball of Dacona; five half-brothers, Sonny and wife Beth McCormick of Ogallala, Freddie and wife Becky of Enders, Neb., Phil of Boulder, Colo., Bruce of Ogallala, and Calvin and wife Sue of North Platte, Neb.; one half-sister, Jodeen McCormick of Longmont, Colo., other relatives and friends.
His body was cremated.
Committal services were held on Saturday, May 28, 2005 at the Madrid cemetery with John Long officiating.
Burial of the cremains was in the Madrid Cemetery. Bullock-Long Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
