U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Edward Koperski
ST. PAUL -- Edward B. Koperski, 69, of St. Paul died Monday, Dec. 20, 1999, at his home.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul with the Revs. Michael McDermott, Bob Ronney and James Murphy officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood cemetery in St. Paul with graveside military rites by Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119 of St. Paul.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the church. There will be an 8 p.m. vigil service.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Koperski was born on Nov. 10, 1930, on a farm southwest of Farwell to Frank and Vernie (Lubash) Koperski. He attended Howard County rural schools and St. Anthony's Parochial School in Farwell.
He served in the Army from 1952 to 1954 and served in the Korean War. After being discharged, he worked in construction.
He married
Dorothy Parkos on June 11, 1955, in Ord. The couple farmed near Farwell for several years and later moved to a farm south of St. Paul, where he lived and farmed the rest of his life.
Mr. Koperski enjoyed polka music, dancing, casino trips and playing cards. He was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Platt-Duetsche, Saddle Club, Eagles and Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119.
Survivors include his wife; five daughters, Shirley (Mrs. John) Pelican of Palmer, Jean (Mrs. Tracy) Howard of Sioux City, Iowa, Debbie (Mrs. Casey) Packer of Wood River, Jackie (Mrs. Randy) Glause of Grand Island and Pam (Mrs. Nick) Jerabek of Farwell; three sons, David of St. Paul, Mark of Farwell and Randy of Dannebrog; 14 grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; three sisters, Leona (Mrs. Robert) Verley of St. Paul, Rose Jasnoch of Loup City and Catherine (Mrs. Ray) Miller of Beatrice; and five brothers, Harry of Elba, Stan and Leonard, both of St. Paul, Frank of Farwell and Paul of Dannebrog.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Bertha Kuszak and Cecelia Koperski.
Frankie Moravec
COTESFIELD -- Frankie Moravec, 65, of Cotesfield died Monday, Dec. 20, 1999, at the Howard County Community Hospital in St. Paul.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Jacobsen Funeral Home in St. Paul with the Rev. Martha Voight officiating. Burial will be in the Cotesfield cemetery with military rites by Rueben Beck American Legion Post 150 of Scotia.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the Cotesfield United Methodist Church or the Elba EMTs.
Mr. Moravec was born on March 6, 1934, in Cotesfield to Frank and Helen (Pliva) Moravec. He was raised near Cotesfield, attended District 57 Schools and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1951.
He farmed in the Cotesfield are until joining the Army in 1956. He served in Panama until being discharged in 1958. He returned to the Cotesfield area, where he farmed the family homestead.
He married
Eleanor Meyer on Feb. 19, 1956, in Scotia.
Mr. Moravec enjoyed hunting. He was a member of the Rueben Beck American Legion and the Cotesfield United Methodist Church, where he held many offices.
He also served on the Farm Service Agency board.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Cindy (Mrs. Marty) Peterson of North Platte and Barb (Mrs. Jeff) Titus of Snyder; one grandson; and one sister, Erma (Mrs. Arlan) Lauritsen of Dannebrog.
Edwin Nelson
ST. EDWARD -- Edwin Victor Nelson, 83, of St. Edward died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, at the Boone County Health Center in Albion.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Salem Lutheran Church at rural St. Edward. The Rev. David Collins will officiate. Burial will be in Salem cemetery near St. Edward.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Levander Funeral Home in Albion.
Mr. Nelson was born on Sept. 1, 1916, at Malvern, Iowa. He attended Boone County District 37 School north of St. Edward and St. Edward High School. The Nelson family lived on several farms throughout the years. Mr. Nelson worked on a farm near Sleepy Eye, Minn., during the mid-1930s. He moved to a farm north of Albion in 1938. Eight years later, he moved to a farm near the Salem community at rural St. Edward. He later lived in St. Edward and moved to five miles east of Albion in 1947. He had lived on the same farm since 1947.
He was a member of Salem Lutheran Church.
Mr. Nelson loved attending farm sales and antique farm shows. He enjoyed talking about the old days and was an expert on horse farming and old farm equipment. He was an avid collector of antiques.
He was a longtime member of the Rae Valley Heritage Association of Petersburg and served on its board of directors for many years.
Survivors include two sisters, Isabelle Johnson of Omaha and Evelyn Nelson of St. Edward; and one brother, Robert Nelson of Galt, Calif.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Marlin and Albert; and one sister, Beatrice Johnson.
Ralph Poland
SPALDING -- Ralph Poland, 85, of Spalding died Monday, Dec. 20, 1999, at Friendship Villa in Spalding.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Spalding. The Rev. Joe Hannappel will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m., with rosaries at 4:30 and 7 p.m., Tuesday at the church.
Dolce Scheef Funeral Home of Spalding is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Poland was born on April 15, 1914, in Loup County near Taylor to Vivian and Hattie (Vanderveen) Poland. He attended Gates School near Sargent and farmed with his father.
He married
Lydia Kokes on June 4, 1934, at St. Paul. The Polands farmed with Mr. Poland's parents until 1942, when they moved to the ranch northwest of Spalding. He farmed and did a lot of bulldozing work for the neighbors and Wheeler County. He was a longtime Wheeler County commissioner.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Joan Wildman of Madison, Wis.; four grandsons; and one brother, Joseph of Sargent.
He was preceded in death by one sister and six brothers.
Dencie Saner
BROKEN BOW -- Dencie E. Saner, 84, of Broken Bow died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, at Heritage Hall Nursing Home in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Govier Brothers Chapel in Broken Bow. The Rev. Jim Stark will officiate. Burial will be in the Dunning Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the mortuary.
A memorial has been established to the Prairie Pioneer Center in Broken Bow.
Mrs. Saner was born on July 6, 1915, at Cascade in Cherry County to Jack and Meta Marie (Boeh) Fisher.
She married
Fred Saner on May 24, 1957. They lived in Dunning until moving to Broken Bow. Mr. Saner died on Oct. 15, 1998.
Survivors include one son, Donald Strand of Live Oak, Fla.; one stepson, Kenneth Saner of Alda; one stepdaughter, Evelyn (Mrs. Dale) Wing of Ogden, Utah; three grandchildren; five stepgrandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several stepgreat-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; one sister, Percilla Hauser of Broken Bow; and one brother, Dick Fisher of Halsey.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by an infant daughter and a sister, Martha.
