U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Hilda Kuhl
LOUP CITY -- Hilda T. Kuhl, 93, of Loup City, died Sunday, March 25, 2001, at the Rose Lane Nursing Home in Loup City.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Higgins Funeral Home in Loup City. The Rev. Douglas DeNeui will officiate. Burial will be in the Evergreen cemetery in Loup City.
Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Gerald Oswald
AURORA -- Gerald S. Oswald, 72, of Aurora, died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at Hamilton Manor.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the United Methodist Church of Aurora. The Rev. Joe Scahill will officiate. Burial will be in the Aurora Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora.
Mr. Oswald was born seven miles southwest of Aurora on May 4, 1928, to Raymond and Alice (Smith) Oswald. He attended elementary school in Hamilton County and at Denair, Calif. He went to high school in Turlock, Calif., and then attended and graduated from Aurora High School. He graduated from Kearney State Teacher's College in 1948. He later did graduate work at Kearney.
His teaching career started at Chase County High School in 1948. He spent 15 years at Mason City High School from 1952 to 1967. He completed his career at Loup City, working there from 1967 through 1989 and retired to Aurora.
He coached girls volleyball for 20 years and had 400 wins and a team that was a state runner-up. He coached boys basketball for six years and was part of Mason City's second conference championship. He also coached speech and drama teams for years. Twenty-two years in coaching brought hundreds of trophies, three state runners-up and one state championship.
He was named Sherman County Teacher of the Year twice, Nebraska Speech Teacher of the Year and Midwest District Speech Teacher of the Year in 1989. He was Nebraska's nominee for national speech coach in 1989. He was twice nominated for the Nebraska Sower Award in Humanities.
He was Central Nebraska Forensics Director of the Year, elected delegate to Nebraska Activities Association for 10 years and District IV Representative in speech for 15 years. He was chosen for 10 evaluation teams for Nebraska high schools.
He spent over 45 years collecting and researching antiques. His articles helped give him a national reputation in Early American Pattern Glass. He gave programs on pattern glass and Native American artifacts during retirement.
He was the first life master of the American Contract Bridge League in outstate Nebraska. He played in nine states, wrote a bridge column for The Custer County Chief and directed bridge clubs in Grand Island. He won over 25 trophies at Nebraska tournaments.
During retirement he judged 30 to 60 high-school one-act plays a year and dozens of speech meets. He was chosen to judge the State competition, worked on forensics committees and was a volunteer consultant and presenter at conventions. His work with Nebraska high school theater spanned 57 years.
His other interests included birds, gardens, habitat, genealogy and ethnology.
He endowed two scholarships at University of Nebraska at Kearney for speech and drama students and was a member of the University of Nebraska Chancellor's Club. The Nebraska Speech Association named its award for Outstanding Service after Oswald.
Survivors include a brother-in-law, Vance Ulmer of Aurora.
He is preceded in death by a brother, Ralph; and a sister, Lucille Ulmer.
Lydia Proskocil
ORD -- Lydia Proskocil, 79, of Ord died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at the Valley County Nursing Home in Ord.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Ord Memorial Chapel. Burial will be in the Ord Bohemian Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home and from 9 a.m. until service time Wednesday. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the Valley County Nursing Home.
Mrs. Proskocil was born July 19, 1921, west of Ord in Valley County to Louis and Besse (Moravcek) Penas. She was raised in western Valley County and attended rural Valley County schools.
Before she was married, she worked at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant west of Grand Island.
She married
Edward Proskocil on Sept. 15, 1945, in Ord. They lived in Ord. He passed away May 10, 1983.
In 1984, she moved to the Ord Rest Home and in October 1993, moved to the Valley County Nursing Home.
She enjoyed gardening, flowers, cooking and baking.
Survivors include three sons, Eugene and Robert, both of Ord and LaVern of Kearney; two daughters, Shirley Reeves and Linda Hansen, both of Kearney; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mildred Pokorney of Ord and Agnes Mulbach of Grand Island; and a brother, Elmer Penas of Grand Island.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Eldon Penas.
Catherine Archer
Catherine M. "Katie" Archer, 79, of Grand Island, formerly of Shelton, died Friday, Oct. 13, 2000, at the Nebraska Veterans Home in Grand Island.
Memorial graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Shelton cemetery with The Rev. John Ewton officiating. Visitation will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at the United Methodist church in Shelton.
Memorials are suggested to the Shelton Emergency Unit.
Godberson Mortuary of Gibbon/Shelton is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Archer was born Dec. 23, 1920, to Arthur and Mollie (Marks) Echternacht in Shelton. Following her mother's death when she was six, she was raised by her father, grandmother and aunt. She grew up and received her education in Shelton, and graduated from Shelton High School in 1930.
She then worked as a waitress.
On April 30, 1930, she married
Gaylord Archer in Aurora. They made their home in Shelton and Grand Island. She worked at the Grand Island ammunition plant while her husband was in the Navy.
The couple moved back to Shelton and then to Denver in 1959. She worked at two banks, and later at the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles. She retired in 1980 and the couple moved back to Shelton.
She moved to the Gibbon Good Samaritan Center in 1996 and to the Nebraska Veterans Home in Grand Island in 1999.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Shelton, Shelton American Legion Auxiliary and the Rebekahs.
Survivors include four daughters, Cherie (Mrs. Larry) Lacey, Kathryn (Mrs. George) Mashburn, Karen Travis, all of Shelton and Cassandra (Mrs. Fred) Baum of Dyer, In.; one son, Danny Archer of Grand Island; six grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband; one son, Michael; and and infant daughter, Kathleen.
Mike Klingbeil
BROKEN BOW -- Milan Rex "Mike" Klingbeil, 78, of Broken Bow, died Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2000, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow. The Rev. Bob Winn will officiate. Burial will be in the Broken Bow cemetery with military rites.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the World War II Memorial.
Mr. Klingbeil was born July 18, 1922, in Cozad to John C. and Una Mac (Stinehagen) Klingbeil. He graduated from Callaway High School and served in the US Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II from Oct. 10, 1942, to Dec. 20, 1945.
He married
Carol Hickman in Broken Bow on Nov. 27, 1947. He lived most of his life in Broken Bow and worked as a well driller.
He was a member of the Evangelical Free Church in Broken Bow, the V.F.W. Post No. 3576, Broken Bow Elks Lodge No. 1688, and the National Well Drillers Association.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Cheryl (Mrs. Roie) Black of Austin, Texas, Linda Crist of Moreno Valley, Calif., and Lynne (Mrs. Dave) Nuss of Omaha; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and three brothers, Karl of Vista, Calif., John "Jack" of Merna and Willis of Sayre, Okla.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Gyneth Klingbeil and Beulah Register.
