U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Jack Pump
Jack Pump, age 58, passed away Tuesday morning, Oct. 12, 2004, at the Perkins County Hospital, Grant, Neb.
Survivors include: mother, Annabel Pump of rural Venango, Neb.; daughters, Paula Seals and husband, Terry of Kearney, Neb. and Sarah Falk and husband, Bryan of Kearney, Neb.; son, Bill Pump of rural Venango, Neb.; grandsons, Cody, Alan and Alex Seals, Zach Fredricks and Lucas Falk; sisters, Linda Churda and husband, Alan of Lincoln, Neb., Edith Jones and husband, Gary of Fountain Hills, Ariz. and Sharon Daigger, Fountain Hills, Ariz.; mother-in-law, Elnor Brown, Imperial, Neb.
Funeral services for Jack Pump will be held Friday afternoon, Oct. 15, 2 p.m. at the Westside Church of Christ, Imperial, Neb., with Bill Lewis officiating.
Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, Imperial, Neb.
No public visitation will be held.
A memorial has been established in Jack's memory.
Liewer Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Robert Makinster
Robert "Bob" Makinster passed away Oct. 4, 2004, at Klamath Falls, Ore.
Services will be Oct. 23, 2004, at 6 p.m. at the Trinity Baptist Church, 9th and Atwood, Longmont, Colo.
Clarence (Rusty) Martell
Clarence (Rusty) Martell was born May 31, 1928 to Clarence A. and Elizabeth (Wilkey) Martell at Athol, Mass.
He was baptized in the Catholic faith as an infant and was confirmed in 1942 in Athol, Mass.
In 1994 Rusty joined the Lutheran faith.
Rusty went to be with his Lord on Oct. 4, 2004 in Denver, Colo. at the age of 76 years.
Rusty joined the U.S. Air Force in 1946 and was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colo. and Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas.
While stationed in Denver he was married
to Helen (Hupfer).
Upon being discharged from the Air Force they returned to Denver to make their home. To this union two daughters were born, Lynda and Sharon. Helen passed away in 1978.
Rusty married
Eileen (Haarberg) Clay on Aug. 8, 1990 moving to Englewood, Colo. where they resided before moving to Imperial in 2003.
Rusty worked for 23 years for the Denver Post as District manager in circulation. Upon retiring from the Post, he worked for the Rocky Mountain News as a distributor in the mountains for five years and McDonald's fast food for seven years. Rusty retired in 1999.
Rusty loved to travel and visiting all the states, and some countries abroad.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his first wife Helen, sister Rita and one step-daughter Shelia.
Survivors include his wife Eileen of Imperial; daughters Lynda Keilman and husband Larry of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Sharon Wyly and husband Danny of Englewood, Colo.; step daughters, Dorene Garrison and husband Dan of Imperial, Neb., Cheryl Dreiling and husband Mike of Champion, Neb., Karen Lapp and husband Lloyd of Hamlet, Neb., Denise Shrout and husband Jim of Imperial, Neb.; four grandchildren; 13 step grandchildren; two great grandchildren and 24 step great grandchildren; sister Betty Boutwell and husband Bill of Springfield, Mass.; sister-in-law Mildred Rosckewski and husband Eldon of Imperial, Neb.; brother-in-law Leroy Haarberg and wife Shirley of Wauneta, Neb.; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services for Clarence Martell were held Monday, Oct. 11, 2004, 10:30 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, Imperial, Neb. with Rev. Ronald Krause officiating.
Inurnment was held Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004, 12 noon at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colo.
A memorial has been established in Clarence's memory.
Liewer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Pearl May Lee
Pearl Lee was born June 11, 1921, the second of four daughters of Howard and Mary Sheldon.
She grew up on a farm near Haigler, Neb., and went to school at Prairie Gem Elementary, a one-room schoolhouse a few miles from her home.
She boarded in Imperial during her high school years, graduating from Chase County High School in 1938.
She graduated from Grand Island School of Business in 1940 and then moved to Holyoke, Colo. where she worked for the Holyoke National Bank.
She married
Wayne C. Lee of Lamar, Neb. March 17, 1948 and moved to his family home. Due to farm work, they were not able to take their honeymoon until that fall, when they traveled by car across the west to California and back. Their first son, W. Sheldon (Shelley), was born in 1950 and their second son, Charles Lester, was born in 1952.
Wayne became a rural letter carrier in 1951, allowing him to devote more of his time to writing, his real passion. Pearl became his partner in this work, typing the final copies of his manuscripts and helping to proofread them. She traveled widely with him as he researched various books and articles and they attended every Western Writers of America convention for decades to develop relationships with editors, publishers and other authors. This resulted in more work for Pearl, as she became the secretary for several of these authors, typing multiple copies of all their manuscripts.
In addition to traveling for research, the family took vacations each summer that eventually enabled them to visit every state and nearly every national park in the USA.
After Wayne retired from the Post Office, they traveled the world, seeing sights they had only dreamed of while they were growing up in the hard years of the Great Depression.
Some of their happiest years were spent in retirement. They owned a mobile home in a park in Harlingen, Texas, and wintered there for 17 years. They had many friends in the park and often traveled with them into Mexico or on cruises. Pearl loved the quilting circles and Bible studies at the park.
They moved from Lamar to Imperial in 1989, planning ahead to the years when they would need to be near medical care and realizing that they needed to let go of the many responsibilities of the farm.
They sold their Texas home in 1999 and that winter Wayne suffered a stroke that kept them from traveling again.
Pearl was the Sunday School Treasurer for many years at the Lamar Christian Church where Wayne was an elder. When they moved to Imperial, they began attending the Berean Fundamental Church and were really blessed by their friends and the ministers there.
She was also an active member of the Lamar Extension Club.
Pearl survived cancer in the 1980's, but was diagnosed this summer with a new cancer. Her son Charley was able to help her stay at home for most of her final weeks. She passed away with her husband at her side in the Imperial Manor on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2004.
She is survived by her husband, Wayne; by her sons and their wives (Shelley and Sally Lee of Reading, PA, and Charley and Mary Lee of Imperial); six grandchildren (Robert Lee, Rebecca Neavill, Amy Lee, Sarah Wixom, David Lee and Mike Lee), and four great grandchildren. She is also survived by her three sisters, Goldie Hall of Battleground, Wash. and Willa Kealiher and Wilma Friday, both of Denver, Colo.
Funeral services were held Friday, Oct. 8, 2004, at 10:30 a.m. at the Berean Fundamental Church in Imperial, Neb. with Pastor Giles Armstrong and Rev. Francis Baker officiating.
Singers were Angel Armstrong and Jim Bohlender with Zo Kunnemann as pianist and Joni Kaiser as organist.
Casketbearers were Dennis Kunnemann, Stewart Weiss, Max Kaiser, Launy Ringleman, David Lee and Robert Lee.
Interment was at the Green Lawn cemetery near Lamar, on the same quarter section where she spent most of her married
life.
Liewer Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Raymond Ness
Raymond Fitzgerald Ness, age 79 of Ogallala, passed away on Sunday evening, May 4, 2008 at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Cancer Pavilion Center in Denver, Colo.
He was born Dec. 21, 1928 in Wolseley, Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Guy and Ruby (Witby) Ness. The family moved to the United States and settled in the area northeast of Big Springs, Neb. after Guy's visit to the consulate in Regina, Canada, in 1929 regarding naturalization and immigration papers.
Ray attended Day Town School and graduated from the Big Springs High School in 1946.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was recruited into the Air Force in 1946. He served with the 8th Photo Recon Unit in Japan following World War II. After his discharge from the military he returned to help on the Ness family farm which was now located near Imperial, Neb.
Ray married
Carol Janice West in Ogallala on May 27, 1955.
Ray was employed by United Airlines in San Francisco and then for his father-in-law, Gordon West, in Ogallala as a brick layer.
In 1963, Ray started his own company, Ness Construction which he owned and operated until his retirement in 2002. His company built the Ogallala Softball Complex, Ogallala Bike Path, Kildare Lumber Company building, two large hangers at the Ogallala Airport and the Titan Industries building in Paxton, as well as many other smaller personal jobs.
He served on the District #2 School Board and the Airport Advisory Board. Ray was a member of the United Methodist Church, the Ogallala Moose Lodge, the Ogallala Elks Lodge and the V.F.W. He had a passion for planes and flying and enjoyed both at every opportunity.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Carol; his son, Scott; his parents, Guy and Ruby Ness; and his sister, Joan Grimes.
He is survived by his daughter, Beth Ness and John Stulich of Ogallala; three grandchildren, Jennifer Kay (Ness) Shuler, Ryan Dale Ness and Keith Scott Ness.; one great-grandson, Cameron Scott Brown, and a brother-in-law, Eldon Grimes of Greeley, Colo.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2008, at the Ogallala United Methodist Church with Pastor James Miller officiating.
Interment services will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Ash Hollow cemetery near Lewellen with military honors rendered by the Keith County Veteran's Organizations.
Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. today, Thursday, May 8 at the Gubser Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be sent at gubserfuneralhome.com.
A memorial has been established in his memory.
Gubser Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Doug Bussell
Doug Bussell, 58 of Loveland, Colo. passed away on May 5, 2008 at McKee Medical Center in Loveland.
He was born on May 22, 1949 in Sutherland, Neb. to Melvin Bussell and C. Earlene (Scronce) Bussell.
He was raised on the Bussell Homestead outside of Imperial, Neb. where he farmed with his father. He attended a rural grade school and graduated from Chase County High School in Imperial in 1967. He attended the University of Nebraska and Kearney State College and graduated from the Indiana College of Mortuary Science.
He owned and operated Funeral Homes in Windsor, Colo. and Laramie, Wyo. He was a member of the Lions Club, was the Albany County Coroner, and was active in his church and community. He then sold the funeral home in Laramie in 1991 and moved to Loveland to retire.
He enjoyed Nebraska football, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and anything outdoors. He enjoyed spending time with his grandsons. He was very devoted to his family. As much as he wanted to get out in the world as a young man his heart never left the small country community he called home.
He is survived by a daughter, Laura Owen, and husband, Jacob Owen, and two grandsons, Joshua Wyatt Owen and Louie Leeds Owen of Fort Collins Colo. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Funeral services will take place on Friday, May 9 at 2 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Loveland and Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Imperial, Neb. with burial following at the Chase Cemetery.
Grace M. Radcliff
Grace Radcliff of Phoenix, Ariz., formerly of Lamar, Neb. and Holyoke, Colo. passed away Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at the age of 95.
She had resided in the Beatitudes Campus of Care in Phoenix, Ariz. since April, 1999.
She was born on Aug. 23, 1912 to Thomas and Claudia (Lockhart) Elwood near Salem, Ind. She graduated from Indiana State Teachers College in Terra Haute Indiana at the age of 19 in 1932.
She married
Keith Radcliff on Dec. 25, 1935.
They owned and operated the Radcliff IGA in Lamar, Neb. for nearly 30 years, retiring in 1974. She was the Postmaster in Lamar for 16 years.
She is survived by son, Ralph (Shari) of Phoenix, Ariz.; daughter, Marilyn (Frank) Morse of South Sioux City, Neb., and son, Jim (Carolyn) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and three brothers.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Keith; one brother and one sister.
A memorial service was held on Monday, April 28, 2008, at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix with burial in the City of Mesa cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower Street, Phoenix, Ariz. 85014, FBO the Beatitudes Campus or Beatitudes Campus Foundation, 1610 W. Glendale Avenue, Phoenix, Ariz. 85021, FBO Memorial for Grace Radcliff.
