U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
'Don' Wernke
Donald "Don" E. Wernke, 78, of, Grand Island died Tuesday March 27, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Cheryl Lamb officiating. Burial will be in the Grand Island City cemetery .
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday with the family receiving friends from 4-7 p.m. at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Wernke was born on June 23, 1922, at Atkinson to Hildred and Matilda (Ziska) Wernke. He received his education in O'Neill and Omaha Central High School at Omaha. From 1940 to 1943, he was a shipfitter at the Bremerton, Wash., naval yard.
He entered the U.S. Army on October 16, 1943, from Kent, Wash., serving during World War II in the Pacific Theater with the 562 D Engineer boat maintenance battalion. He attained the rank of Tech 5 and was honorably discharged Dec. 24, 1945, from Denver, Colo. After his discharge he returned to Hastings and worked for the Hastings Air Conditioning Co., Hastings Wholesale Co. and Fuller Motor Co. In 1948, he went to work for the Department of Agriculture in McCook and later transferred to Fort Worth, Texas.
He married
Donna Schuck on Oct. 9, 1949, at Harvard. In 1950, he transferred to the Bureau of Reclamation at Superior and later lived in Scandia, Kan., and Long Pine. In 1959, they moved to Grand Island, where he was employed by the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1968, he began working for the Postal Service, where he was a clerk and retired in 1978 with 33 years of government service. In retirement he was a security officer for Wheelers and St. Francis Medical Center.
He was a member of First Presbyterian Church and was a deacon at church. He also was a member of Masonic Ashlar Lodge No. 33; Tehama Lodge, which he was 32nd degree Scottish rite; Eagles Aerie 378 and was a life member of VFW Post 1347.
Survivors include his wife, Donna; two daughters, Cheryl (Mrs. Stanley) Norine of Citrus Heights, Calif., and Gwen (Mrs. Randall) Reed of Grand Island; one son, Tom Lethert of Bozeman, Mont.; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Harold and Leroy.
Ellen Douglas
OMAHA - Ellen R. Douglas, 27, of Omaha, formerly of Stromsburg, died Tuesday, March 27, 2001, at her home.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Evangelical Free Church in Stromsburg. The Rev. Kerry Relihan will officiate. Burial will be in the Stromsburg Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Palmer Funeral Home in Stromsburg.
Mary Kohl
CLARKS - Mary Kohl, 84, of Clarks died Wednesday, March 28, 2001, at the Litzenberg Hospital in Central City.
Services are pending with Palmers Funeral Home in Fullerton.
Additional details will appear later.
William Olson
FULLERTON -- William L. Olson, 78, of Fullerton died Wednesday, March 28, 2001, at Beverly Healthcare in Fullerton.
Services are pending with Palmer Funeral Home in Fullerton.
James Hart
JOHNSON LAKE -- James M. Hart, 56, of Johnson Lake died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at the Tri-County Hospital in Lexington.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Reynolds-Love Funeral Home Chapel in Lexington with the Rev. Don Buhrman officiating.
There will be no visitation. Mr. Hart was cremated.
Memorials are suggested to the Johnson Lake EMS or the Elwood EMS.
Mr. Hart was born July 18, 1944, at Vinton, Iowa, to George and Helen (Dudek) Hart. He grew up in Grand Island.
In 1962, he joined the Army to see the world, but was stationed in Crete the entire time. His career in the restaurant business began at Dreisbach's Steakhouse while he was still in high school. In 1971, he took over the steakhouse at the Grand Island Saddle Club. In 1991, he opened Hart's Steakhouse in Gothenburg.
In 1994, he moved his business to Johnson Lake following a fire that destroyed his restaurant in Gothenburg. In 1999, a disabling illness forced early retirement.
He enjoyed fishing, hunting and was a Nebraska football fan.
Survivors include his brother, Jerry of Cortez, Colo.
Imogene Konrath
CHADRON -- Imogene Konrath, 89, of Chadron died Monday, March 26, 2001, at Tiffany Square Center in Grand Island, where she had lived for the past four months.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Chadron with the Rev. Ed Cortney officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Wake services will be at 8 p.m. Thursday at the church.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Chamberlain Chapel in Chadron.
Memorials are suggested to the Chadron Community Hospital Dialysis Fund or St. Patrick's Catholic Church Building Fund.
Mrs. Konrath was born Feb. 21, 1912, in Ardmore, S.D., to Edward G. and Marie E. (McAleer) Henry.
She was a member of the V.F.W. Auxiliary and the Catholic Ladies.
Survivors include two sons, Bernard Konrath of Chadron and Jim Konrath of Boise, Idaho; two daughters, Joan Serbousek of Grand Island and Delores (Mrs. Wallace) Hulseman of Guernsey, Wyo.; one brother, Raymond Henry of White Clay; one sister, Lorene Eilers of Monticello, Iowa; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
'Rich' Roan
LINCOLN-- Richard "Rich" B. Roan, 35, of Lincoln died Sunday, March 25, 2001, following an automobile accident near York.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. The Rev. Ralph Steffensmeir will officiate. Burial will be in the Parish Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church with wake services at 7 p.m.
Mr. Roan was born Aug. 22, 1965, in Pensacola, Fla., to Richard "Dick" Lee and LaVonne Jae (Ewing) Roan. He was baptized in Pensacola and confirmed in Hawaii. He received his elementary education in Pensacola; Fort Mead, Md.; Fairfax, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; and Hawaii. He graduated from Cedar Rapids High School in 1983.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy August 1983 and served aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise until his discharge in 1986. He served in the Navy Reserves until 1989.
He married
Laura Willis on Dec. 29, 1990, in York. The couple renewed their vows on July 3, 1992, in Cedar Rapids. He worked at the Cedar Rapids Locker and later studied for and received his journeyman license. Following his divorce, he worked as an electrician in Cedar Rapids, Omaha and Lincoln. He worked in Lincoln since that time.
Survivors include his father, Richard Roan of St. Edward; his mother, LaVonne Carlson and husband, Warren of Cedar Rapids; two daughters, Amy Marie and Amanda LaVonne of Cedar Rapids; two sons, David Ryan and Daniel Roan of Cedar Rapids; one granddaughter; one sister, Katrina Hjermstad of Papillion; one stepsister, Megan Roan of Wood River; and his grandfather, Gordon Ewing.
He was preceded in death by one brother, David Roan; and three grandparents, Bernie Ewing, and Madge and Byron Roan.
