U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Dr. Victor Beck
HASTINGS -- Dr. Victor Lorne Beck, 95, of Hastings died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000, at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Matt Nieman will officiate. Burial with military rites will be in Parkview cemetery in Hastings.
Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings. Further visitation will be one hour before services Monday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to Hastings College or Mary Lanning Hospice.
Dr. Beck was born on June 7, 1905, in Hot Springs, S.D., to William Victor and Mabel (Funk) Beck. The family moved to Broken Bow in 1906. He attended school in Broken Bow and graduated in 1923. He attended Hastings College from 1923 to 1925 and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1925 to 1928. He received his bachelor of science and doctor of dental science degrees in 1928.
He was active in aviation in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He flew air mail and flew rescue missions during the 1937 Republican River flood.
He married
Gwendolyn Foote on Sept. 14, 1929, in Hastings. They moved to Broken Bow, where he practiced with his father from 1928 to 1941.
He entered the U.S. Army in September 1941, served in the Pacific theater and was discharged as a major in 1946. He was later a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
He practiced dentistry in Hastings from 1946 until retiring in 1978. He ranched in the Sandhills with his father and later ranched in Nebraska and Colorado with his brother-in-law, D.B. Foote Sr. Mrs. Beck died in 1959.
Dr. Beck married
Fran Jensen in 1960. In later years, his recreation was playing the Lochland Golf Course.
He was active in Rotary International, the First Presbyterian Church, his state and county dental organizations and was past president of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He was a member of the Broken Bow High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame and the undefeated football team of 1924. He was a member of the N-Club at Nebraska, playing fullback in 1926 and 1927. He served as president of the Broken Bow school board in 1937 and 1938.
Survivors include one son, Dr. William Beck of Hastings; two daughters, Margon (Mrs. Bud) Edney of Coronado, Calif., and Bettsie (Mrs. John) Specia of San Antonio; one stepdaughter, Linda Smith of Cincinnati; one stepson, Sam Jensen of Omaha; nine grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; five step grandchildren; and two step great-grandchildren.
Doyle Garwood
AURORA -- Doyle M. Garwood, 83, of Aurora, died Friday, Sept. 15, 2000, at Memorial Hospital.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the United Methodist Church in Aurora. The Rev. Seth Leypold will officiate. Burial will be in the Aurora Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Higby Mortuary in Aurora.
Mr. Garwood was born July 28, 1917 at Aurora to Roy E. and Clara M. (Rundle) Garwood. He grew up in Ansley and graduated from high school there. He helped his parents manage the family farm and Garwood Dairy.
He married
Betty Lou King on Sept. 14, 1940, in Gibbon. In 1952, the couple moved to Aurora where he worked as superintendent of the Aurora cemetery for 36 years. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with their family on Sept. 10.
Mr. Garwood was a member of the Golden Age Eagles, Men's Bremer Center Card Club, and various other card clubs over the years. He also enjoyed dancing.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Marva (Mrs. James) Furbur of Columbus; two sisters, Verla (Mrs. Clarence) Fox of Ord and Betty Ann (Mrs. Gilford) Morgan of Kearney; four grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and one foster daughter, Mary Williams.
Merna Davis
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Merna M. Davis, 91, of Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Grand Island, died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000, at Tucson.
Services are pending with Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral home.
Norman Parmley
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Norman Parmley, 64, of Newport Beach, Calif., formerly of Grand Island, died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000, at the medical center in Newport Beach.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, Calif.
Mr. Parmley was born on Nov. 11, 1935, at Orleans. He graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1953.
He served in the Marines in 1953. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from California University.
He was a contract engineer for Rockwell Aerospace for 30 years. After retiring, he took up art and showed much of his work at art shows. He received special recognition for some of his art.
Survivors include his wife, Sandy; a daughter, Kim of California; a son, Chris of California; four grandchildren; his mother and stepfather, Lucille and Ben Wassinger of Grand Island; his father, Robert Parmley of Grand Island; a brother, Gary Parmley of Sioux Falls, S.D.; and a sister, Jan Camp of Fort Morgan, Calif.
Helen Rogers
FAIRFIELD BAY, Ark. -- Helen G. Rogers, 88, of Indian Rock Village in Fairfield Bay, Ark., formerly of Central City, died Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000, at Fairfield Bay.
Mrs. Rogers was cremated.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Presbyterian Kirk of the Hills. Inurnment will be at Fort McPherson National cemetery in Maxwell.
Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Clinton, Ark., is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to Presbyterian Kirk of the Hills, Indian Rock Village or Master Gardeners of Van Buren County.
Mrs. Rogers was born on Jan. 7, 1912, in Cedar Rapids to Al and Charlotte (Bailey) Wilch.
She graduated from Central City High School and Nebraska Central College. She taught at a rural school near Chapman. Later in life, she became director of volunteer services at Hastings State Hospital.
She married
Dr. Earl A. Rogers on July 3, 1931. He died on July 4, 2000.
Survivors include two daughters, Lou Ann Brach of Walkersville, Md., and Sharon (Mrs. Bob) Berdine of Fairfield Bay; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, James A.; three brothers; and two sisters.
George Pontious Sr.
George D. Pontious Sr., 89, of Grand Island died Sunday, Sept. 23, 2001, at Wedgewood Care Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home Chapel in Grand Island with Envoys Jim and Dee Tooley officiating. Burial will be in the Grand Island Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. until the time of the services Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Mr. Pontious was born Dec. 3, 1911, in Clarinda, Iowa, to John and Bessie (Bloom) Pontious. He spent most of his childhood in Iowa. At the age of 14 he worked for relatives on a farm in Albion.
On Aug. 6, 1932, he married
Fern Giersdorf in Marysville, Mo. The couple farmed in Boone County near Akron and later in Palmer. In 1952 they moved to Grand Island where he worked at the ordnance plant. Later he was employed by the Desch-Paine Monument Co. and Johnson Cashway.
After retiring, he worked in security at Fonner Park. He entered Wedgewood Care Center in January.
He enjoyed outside yard work and fishing.
Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Donald and Barbara Pontious of Grand Island; two daughters and sons-in-law, Norma and Donald Marco of Grand Island and Patty and Gary Jensen of Harvard; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; one sister, Ruby Smith of Shenandoah, Iowa; and one sister-in-law, Betty McMullen of Grand Island.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Fern; one son, George Jr.; two daughters, Maxine and Georgia; one grandson; one great-granddaughter; six brothers, Mack, Leslie, Howard, Bob, Jake and Russell Pontious; and four sisters, Marie Williams, Sadie and Irma Pontious and Zeta Comer.
Clement Ballwog
91, Businessman
SPALDING -- Clement A. Ballwog, 91, of Spalding died Saturday, Sept. 22, 2001, at his home.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Spalding with the Rev. Joseph Hannappel officiating. Burial will be in the St. Michael's Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the church with a rosary at 4:30 p.m.
Dolce Scheef Mortuary in Spalding is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the Spalding Academy Endowment Fund, St. Michael's Church, or Spalding Senior Center.
Mr. Ballwog was born Jan. 9, 1910, in Spalding to Joseph and Phillipine Ballwog.
He graduated from Spalding Academy in 1928 and started a business career while still in high school, bottling and distributing soda pop. After graduating, he opened a small business that evolved from selling and repairing radios to a full service hardware and gift store. He installed appliances and also provided servicing.
On Oct. 31, 1933, he married
Elva Broomhall.
He was a member of St. Michael's Church in Spalding and was named citizen of the year in 1962. He was elected mayor of Spalding in 1962 and served on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 1963 and 1964. He enjoyed his family, business, fishing, bowling, and gardening.
Survivors include three sons, Charles of Allen, Tex., Joseph of Hastings and Robert of Spalding; one daughter, Mary Ellen Koltn of Schuyler; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife; and three sisters, Mary Keber, Agnes Stromp and Mabel Ballwog.
