U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Lee Tyma
LITCHFIELD -- Lee Tyma, 20, of Litchfield died Tuesday, Dec. 7, 1999, at BryanLGH Medical Center in Lincoln.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Litchfield Christian Church. The Rev. Ken Woolery will officiate. Burial will be in the Litchfield Cemetery.
There will be no visitation. Rasmussen Mortuary of Ravenna is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Tyma was born on March 26, 1979, in Grand Island to Richard and Judy (Johnson) Tyma. He was educated in Litchfield and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1997. He was a member of the Litchfield Rifle Club while in high school.
He worked at Wal-Mart in Kearney as a sales associate in the sporting goods department.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Survivors include his father, of Litchfield; his mother, of Kearney; and two sisters, Gina (Mrs. Jeff) Baldwin and Kris Tyma of Kearney.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents.
Martha DeLay
MODESTO, Calif. -- Martha DeLay, 95, of Modesto, Calif., died Nov. 18, 1999, at Colony Park Care Center in Modesto.
Graveside services were on Nov. 20 at Lakewood Memorial Park in Hughson, Calif. Lakewood Funeral Home in Hughson was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. DeLay was born on April 30, 1904, on the family farm near Clarks to Shold and Adelioa (Fjell) Samuelson. When she was 10 years old, the family moved to a farm northeast of Palmer. She graduated from Palmer High School.
She married
Eldon DeLay of Chapman on March 15, 1930.
Survivors include a son, Wesley L. DeLay of Modesto; a daughter, Marcella Plummer of Gladstone, Ore.; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband; four brothers, Bernard, Carl, Donald and Ossian Samuelson; and four sisters, Lily Bartholomew, Helen Starkey, Mildred Doncheske and Augusta Petersen.
Rev. Larry Graffius
BRIDGETON, N.J. -- The Rev. Larry Graffius, 45, of Bridgeton, N.J., died Dec. 2, 1999, in Hawaii as the result of a snorkeling accident. The Rev. and Mrs. Graffius were in Hawaii to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Sunday at the German Seventh Day Baptist Church in Salemville, Pa. Burial will be in Salemville, Pa. Further services will be on Dec. 21 at the Marlboro Seventh Day Baptist Church in Bridgeton, N.J., and 2 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Boulder, Colo., Seventh Day Baptist Church.
The Rev. Graffius was born on Oct. 22, 1954, in Altoona, Pa., to the Rev. Charles and Anne Graffius.
He married
Jan Williams on Dec. 21, 1974, in North Loup. He graduated from Northern Bedford High School in New Enterprise, Pa., in 1972 and from Salem College in Salem, W.Va., in 1975.
He received his master of divinity from North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls, S.D., and had recently begun work on his doctorate.
He served 18 years in full-time ministry and had served the Marlboro Seventh Day Baptist Church in Bridgeton for the past four years. He previously served as pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist churches in White Cloud, Mich.; North Loup; Rapid City, S.D.; and lost Creek, W.Va. He especially enjoyed his involvement with youth camps and ministries.
He had worked in financial planning and was currently working as a substitute teacher. Other career interests were writing a book, various art mediums, golfing, gardening and music.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Scott of Janesville, Wis., and Steven of Lakewood, Colo.; his father and stepmother, Chuck and Lorna Graffius of Oviedo, Fla.; a brother, Don of New Enterprise, Pa.; a sister, Cindy McKenzie of Mandan, N.D.; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bud and Luella Williams of North Loup.
He was preceded in death by his mother.
Edith Owen Peterson
SAN DIEGO -- Edith Owen Peterson, 89, of San Diego, formerly of Sargent, died Sunday, Dec. 5, 1999, at her home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Rhoad Funeral Home in Sargent. The Rev. Mark Crist will officiate. Mrs. Peterson was cremated.
Mrs. Peterson was born on Jan. 10, 1910, in Van Buren County, Ark., to James and Sippie Ann (Morgan) Massey. She graduated from high school in Scotland, Ark., in 1928.
She married
Ralph T. Standridge in central Oklahoma. The couple lived on both coasts and traveled to China and France, among other places.
She married
M.L. Owen in 1941. They moved to Gothenburg in 1950 and then to Sargent in 1956. Mr. Owen died in 1961.
Mrs. Peterson married
Elmer Peterson in 1965. After he died in 1997, Mrs. Peterson moved back to California.
Survivors include three daughters, Wendy Doeh of Los Angeles, Shirley (Mrs. Jack) Chaffin of Broken Bow and Sally Contreras of San Diego; a son, Mack Owen of Arcadia, Calif.; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister, Maude Pilgrim.
She was preceded in death by two husbands, two brothers and a sister.
'Ted' Celmer
Theodore T. "Ted" Celmer, 89, of the Grand Island Veterans Home died Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999, at the home.
Memorial services will be at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the All Faiths Chapel of the Grand Island Veterans Home. The Rev. James Schmitt will officiate. Mr. Celmer's body will be cremated. The cremains will be buried in the Rockville cemetery in Sherman County.
There will be no visitation.
Memorials are suggested to Masses or the donor's choice.
Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Celmer was born on Nov. 6, 1910, in Sherman County to Joseph and Anastayza (Chylmanski) Celmer. He grew up in Sherman County and attended rural school there. He then worked for several farmers in the area. He worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps camps from 1935 to 1939.
Mr. Celmer operated a filling station until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the 5th Armored Division in the European theater of operations from March 1942 to November 1945.
Following his military service, he worked for the Rural Electrification Administration. He worked for 11 years operating a maintainer for Rockville township in Sherman County. He worked for four years at the Ravenna Country Club and then three years for the Henningson Egg Plant.
Mr. Celmer moved to Grand Island in 1975 and worked at the Grand Island Municipal Golf Course.
He loved sports and competition, playing basketball, baseball and later golf.
He was a member of the American Legion. He was also a member of the Catholic faith.
Survivors include one sister, Elizabeth Wikle of Meridan, Idaho.
He was preceded in death by six brothers, Harry, Joseph, Stanley, Frank, Walter and Leo Celmer; and three sisters, Pauline Treffer, Gertrude Gruzinski and Mary Grabowski.
