U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
R.D. ‘Dale’ Breit
R.D. "Dale" Breit, 73, of Hoxie, Kan. died Saturday, Aug. 9, 2003.
He and his wife, Barbara, who is critically ill, owned and operated Cooper Dry Goods in Hoxie, Kan. and Imperial, Neb.
Among survivors are his wife, Barbara of Hoxie, Kan.; a son, Blaine Breit and wife Pamela of Greeley, Colo.; two daughters, Ladeane Reese and husband Rick of Mount Hope, Kan. and Janeece Woofter and husband Alan of Imperial, Neb.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003, at the United Methodist Church, Hoxie.
A more complete obituary will appear in next week’s issue.
Elta Tesar
Elta Tesar, long time resident of Wallace, and sister-in-law of Amelia Headrick of Imperial passed away at North Platte Medical Center July 10, 2003.
Services of Christian Burial were held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wallace July 14 with Father Jim Benton as celebrant.
Interment Wallace Cemetery with Bullock Long Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Merlin W. Needham
Merlin W. Needham died Thursday, July 24, 2003, at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. He was 68 years old.
Merlin was born on Sept. 15, 1934, at Imperial, to Harold and Hazel (Stivers) Needham.
He graduated from Imperial High School in 1950.
On Sept. 12, 1954, he married Ruth A. Hazzard at Imperial. To this union three children were born.
They moved to the McCook community in 1978 where Merlin was employed at Dayco Hose Plant for 27 years.
Merlin spent his free time restoring old cars, enjoying the outdoors and doing handy work.
Preceding him in death were his parents, Harold and Hazel Needham; and daughter Ruth Ann Needham in 1980.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth of McCook; son, Wayne Needham and wife, Peggy, of McCook; daughter, Tammy Needham of McCook; two brothers, Harry Needham and wife, Alice, of Sidney and Jim Needham and wife, Esther, of Cambridge; and a host of relatives and friends.
Memorials may be given in his name.
Services will be Monday, July 28, 2003, 11 a.m., at Carpenter Breland Chapel.
Burial was in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Carpenter Breland Funeral Home of McCook was in charge of the arrangements.
Margaret C. Weiss
Margaret Christina Weiss was born Sept. 7, 1908, on a farm in Chase County, to Charles and Anna (Gleason) Hayes.
As a young girl she attended country school and worked in homes of the Imperial community, helping cook for wheat harvesters, thrashers and corn shellers.
At times there was a new baby in the home and Margaret assisted in the care of baby and mother.
Margaret married Valentine (Tiny) Weiss in 1929, and to this union three sons were born: Charles, Richard "Bud" and Kenneth.
Margaret lived her entire life in Chase County, losing Tiny on June 1, 1993.
Margaret loved raising flowers, doing crafts and needle work. She loved her family and was very proud of all of them.
Margaret passed away Sunday afternoon, July 27, 2003, at Chase County Community Hospital. She was 94 years of age.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Tiny, parents Charles and Anna, brothers Joe, Bill and John, sister Francis and a little great granddaughter.
Survivors include: sons Charles and wife Doris of Villas, N.J., Richard "Bud" and wife Karen of Hastings, Neb., Kenneth of Alda, Neb.; sister Lucille Weiss of Imperial, Neb.; brother Glen Hayes of Imperial, Neb.; sister-in-law Alice Hayes, Imperial, Neb.; four grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; numerous step-grand and step-great grandchildren along with nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
Graveside services were held Wednesday, July 30, 2003, 10:30 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery, Imperial, Neb. with Rev. Francis Baker officiating.
A memorial has been established to the Chase County Community Center.
Liewer Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Agnes Ann Spelts
Agnes Ann Spelts of Greeley, Colo., formerly of Fort Morgan, Colo., passed away July 4, 2003, at the Life Care Center, Greeley. She was born on April 7, 1917, to Joseph Anton and Antonia Nejdl of Palisade, Neb.
Agnes grew up and attended school in Nebraska. She moved to Denver, Colo., where she met Sidney Spelts and they were married on Jan. 11, 1947. They moved to Fort Morgan.
After her husband died, Agnes moved to Greeley.
She was a member of the Methodist Church of Greeley. She was employed at the local WalMart and celebrated 15 years as an associate in 2003.
She is survived by her sons: Gary and Steven and wives; four grand-children and one great grandchild; three sisters: Mary Kerchal of Imperial, Neb., Bessie Kerchal of Ogallala, Neb., and Adeline Dixon of Cozad, Neb.; several nieces and nephews; two cousins, Vicctor Nejdl of Czechoslovakia and Annie Machacek of Chicago, Ill.
Her husband preceded her in death on Dec. 25, 1982, as well as her parents and youngest sister, Helen, and three brothers: James Jirik, Edward Jirik and William Jirik, all of Palisade, Neb.
Services were held at the Heer & Jolliffe Mortuary in Fort Morgan on Wednesday, July 9, 2003, at 11 a.m. Interment was at the Memory Gardens beside her husband.
Vera A. Bentz
Vera A. Bentz, age 84, of Ogallala died Wednesday, July 16 at the Ogallala Community Hospital.
She was born April 12, 1919 in Alliance, Neb. to Charles and Oda Hartje Keenan.
When Vera was four, her mother died and she went to live with her grandparents, George and Sarah Keenan. They lived north of Oshkosh in the Racket Community. Vera’s father died when she was 13.
Vera attended school in the Racket Community and graduated at the top of the class in the county.
Vera met the love of her life, Basil Bentz, at the community dances. The were united in marriage on Dec. 26, 1936 in Lewellen, Neb.
They started their life together on a farm south of Oshkosh. They moved several times until they found the ranch near Imperial, Neb. where they spent 41 years making their dreams come true.
In 1996 they retired selling the ranch and moving south of Ogallala.
Vera loved to work along side with her husband building up the ranch. She enjoyed reading, sewing, crocheting and embroidering.
Vera was a wonderful cook and enjoyed having dinners with family and friends. Vera also loved to play the piano and organ and had a natural talent.
Funeral services were held Monday, July 21, 2003 at 10 a.m. from the Draucker Funeral Home in Ogallala with Pastor Duane Dunwoody officiating.
Interment was in the Ogallala Cemetery.
A memorial has been established to the Ogallala Community Hospital.
Survivors include husband, Basil of Ogallala; four daughters, Anne and husband Chuck Parcell of Flintridge, Calif., Maxine Bentz of Aurora, Colo., Sharon and husband Garry Spady of Imperial and Lana Jo and husband Richard Westfahl of Colby, Kan; six grandchildren; five great grandchildren; four sisters-in-law, Ruth Merril of Sutherland, Lila Wallace of Cheyenne, Wyo., Viola Dunkin of North Platte and Darleen Moore of Twin Falls, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by her parents and infant son Rodney.
Draucker Funeral Home of Ogallala was in charge of arrangements.
Rev. Wilbur R. Hoover
Wilbur R. Hoover, 85, of McPherson, Kan. died July 17, 2003.
He was born in Roaring Spring, Pa., Sept. 7, 1917.
A minister and district executive in the Church of the Brethren for over 50 years, he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1941 before being called to the ministry by his local church.
He attended Bethany Theological Seminary where he graduated magna cum laude with a master’s of divinity degree in 1949.
He served as pastor to Church of the Brethren congregations in Afton and in Enders, Neb. for nine years; Rocky Ford, Colo.; and Warrensburg, Mo.
While at Warrensburg, he also served as part-time field associate for the Tri-District Missouri District. In 1971 he was named District Executive for the Western Plains District of the Church, headquartered in McPherson.
After retirement, Rev. Hoover also served as interim executive of the Northern Plains District in Ankeny, Iowa and as chaplain of the Cedars.
Over the years Rev. Hoover held a number of positions with the denomination, including membership on the General Board and as an officer of the Council of District Executives. He had also been a trustee of Bethany Theological Seminary, McPherson College and the Cedars.
He was active in ecumenical endeavors, including the Colorado Migrant Ministry and the Councils of Churches of Missouri and Colorado. He served as President of the Kansas Ecumenical Ministries.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Kathryn Miriam Coppock and the couple’s four children, their spouses and six grandchildren, a brother and a sister: Dr. Modena and Gary Wilson of Wheaton, Ill., and sons Christopher and Nicholas; Dr. and Mrs. Marlin C. Hoover of Flossmoor, Ill., and daughters Fmily and Allison; Dr. and Mrs. Stewart Hoover of Boulder, Colo.; and Marsha Hoover and Tom Karaba of Clarendon Hills, Ill., and their children Andrew and Julie Karaba; Robert Hoover of Roaring Spring, Pa. and Sarah Hoover of Martinsburg, Pa.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m. at the Church of the Brethren in McPherson, Kan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Road West, Richmond, Ind. 47374-4109; McPherson College, P.O. Box 1402, McPherson, Kan. 67460; or The Cedars, 1021 Cedars Drive, McPherson, Kan. 67460.
Lyle Roe
Lyle Roe, 79, of Cheyenne, Wyo. died early Sunday morning, July 20, 2003, at the Memorial Health Center in Sidney, Neb.
Cremation was held and memorial services are planned for later in the week in Cheyenne, Wyo.
The Holechek Funeral Home in Sidney is in charge of local arrangements.
Lyle Glen Roe, the son of Gail D. and Edith N. (Gingles) Roe was born April 4, 1924 at Imperial, Neb.
He grew up and attended school in Imperial. He farmed in the Imperial area before moving to Cheyenne, Wyo. where he worked as a heating mechanic.
During World War II he served as a military policeman in the U.S. Army with the 1857th Service Command Unit Prisoner War Camp.
He moved to Sidney in September of 2002.
Survivors include a step-daughter, Ellen Miller of Cheyenne, Wyo.; two brothers, Max Roe of Caney, Ky. and George Roe of Enders, Neb.; one sister, Rita Tomlinson of Seattle, Wash.; two step-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be Friday, July 25 at 3:30 p.m. at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel of the Chimes in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Inurnment will be at Memorial Gardens, Cheyenne.
Alva Martin
Alva Roy Martin was born March 31, 1912 to Worthing and Mattie (Robinson) Martin near Champion in Chase County, Nebraska, the oldest of eight children. Alva died Sunday, July 13, 2003 at Melissa Memorial Hospital in Holyoke, Colo. at the age of 91.
Alva attended school in Nebraska and Colorado through the 8th grade. He was 13 years old when his father died of typhoid fever. As the oldest, he went to work farming for his Uncle Charley Martin to support the family.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Jessie Redden, on Nov. 10, 1931. Their union was blessed with three sons and four daughters. Alva and Jessie moved from Nebraska where they farmed to Colorado in 1936 where he joined the Immanuel Missionary Church.
He ministered for the Immanuel Missionary Church in Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Kentucky, and Indiana and for revival meetings coast to coast until health prevented. He also worked in a bakery, did carpentry work, drove a school bus, worked in the stockyards and on the cog railroad in Pikes Peak. After 63 years of marriage, Jessie died in 1994.
In addition to Jessie, Alva was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, three grandsons, one step-granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.
Survivors include his children, Darlene and Leroy Montgomery of Kearney, Neb.; Roy and Maureen Martin of Ault; Alvin and Jan Martin of Las Vegas, Nev.; Mary and David Deitrich of Las Vegas, Nev.; Samuel and Joan Martin of Canby, Ore.; Viola Martin of Fort Worth, Texas; and Malva Lynn and LeRoy Fishbaugh of Evergreen; 17 grandchildren; 43 great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; three step-grandsons; 13 step great-grandchildren; three step great-great-grandchildren; three brothers, William, Earl and Robert Martin; three sisters, Olive Martin, Minnie Eller and Leona Kale; four brother-in-laws, Max, Herman, Pat Redden and Robert Hickman; one sister-in-law, Hilda Redden, and a host of other relatives and friends.
Services were held on Saturday, July 19, 2003 at the First Christian Church of Holyoke, with Minister Jim Blake officiating. Interment was at Holyoke Memorial Park with Tennant-Thompson Mortuary in charge of arrangements.
