U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Walt Kopystynsky
Omaha -- Walter "Kopy" Kopystynsky, 77, of Omaha, formerly of Grand Island, died Wednesday, June 24, 1998, in Omaha.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Grand Island. The Rev. John D. Russell will officiate. Burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m., with the family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Mr. Kopystynsky was born on April 13, 1921, in Cleveland to Sylvester and Titania (Zuk) Kopystynsky. He grew up and was educated in Cleveland, graduating from high school in 1939.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II from September 1942 until February 1946.
He married
Irene Moyer on April 13, 1945, in Grand Island. After the war, they lived in Grand Island, where Mr. Kopystynsky was a tool and dye maker for Chief Industries. They moved to Omaha in 1988, and he worked for seven years at Burger King.
He was a member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, the Platt-Duetsche Society, Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 378 of Grand Island, American Legion Post 1 of Omaha and the Masonic Blue Lodge of Cleveland.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Robert L. Kopystynsky and Chuck Kopystynsky, both of Omaha, and Michael Kopy of Grand Island; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; and two sisters, Ann Fedik and Olga (Mrs. Ed) Gocek, both of Cleveland.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, John and Bill.
The Rev. Kenneth Ernstmeyer
FREMONT -- The Rev. Kenneth W. Ernstmeyer, 79, of Fremont, formerly of Hooper and a former pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church at Hooper, died Tuesday, May 16, 1998, at the Fremont Area Medical Center.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont. The Rev. David L'schen will officiate. Burial will be in Memorial cemetery at Fremont.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Moser Memorial Chapel in Fremont, with the family receiving friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to service time.
Memorials are suggested to the Seminary Students Fund at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont or the Lutheran Hour.
He was born Nov. 1, 1918, at Polk to Walter and Helen (Nierman) Ernstmeyer. He grew up in Scotia and Jansen. He attended St. Paul's College at Concordia, Mo., for two years and then attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis for four years. He was ordained at Hancock, Md., in 1944.
The Rev. Ernstmeyer served parishes at Hancock and Salisbury, Md.; and at Scotia, Utica and Franklin. He served as pastor at Hooper from 1971 until retiring in 1994.
He married
Naomi Barney on July 17, 1945, at Staplehurst.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Phillip of Grand Island, David of Austin, Texas and Jeffrey of Derby, Kan.; two daughters, Constance Rager of Omaha and Ruth Ann (Mrs. Deland) Morse of Orlando, Fla.; a brother, Deverne of Lincoln; two sisters, Lois (Mrs. Neal) Hafemeister of Lincoln and Ruth (Mrs. Jack) Wilson of Ventura, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Mark, and two grandchildren.
Maurice Fellers
GENOA -- Maurice O. Fellers, 81, of Genoa died Tuesday, May 26, 1998, at the Genoa Hospital.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Palmer Funeral Home in Fullerton. The Rev. Ken McQueen will officiate. Burial will be in the Main cemetery at Belgrade.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
'Rex' Ferris
CENTRAL CITY -- Rexford "Rex" Ferris, 85, of Central City died Tuesday evening at his home.
Services are pending for Friday. Solt Funeral Home of Central City is in charge of arrangements.
O'Dean Perry
St. PAUL -- O'Dean Perry, 67, of St. Paul died Sunday, May 24, 1998, at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul with the Rev. Jack Rademacher officiating. Burial will be in Mount Olivet cemetery in Denver.
Memorials are suggested to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church or Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital.
Mrs. Perry was born on Feb. 27, 1931, to John and Geneieve (Fierstine) Haggerty at Denver, Colo. She received her education from Holy Family School and graduated in 1948. She then worked as a secretary in Denver.
She married
William "Jasper" Perry on April 15, 1950, at Denver. The couple first lived in Denver where she worked at home and raised her children. In 1964, the family move to Gering where she worked as a medical secretary for local medical offices and later worked as a medical transcriptionist at the West Nebraska General Hospital in Scotts Bluff.
In 1973, the couple returned to Denver. Mr. Perry died in January 1985.
In the fall of 1985, she moved to Nebraska to be near her children living in Superior, Grand Island and Beatrice. In 1990, she moved to St. Paul to live with her daughter, and was a caretaker for her two grandchildren.
In the past year, failing health forced her to be hospitalized in several Lincoln hospitals.
She enjoyed reading, shopping and politics. She was an avid football fan, especially for the Denver Broncos.
She was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, its Alter Society and Catholic Daughters of America.
She is survived by one son, Don Perry of York; a daughter, Ann Kujath of Fairbury; and two grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband and one sister Marguerite McFarland.
Howard Pitzer
ERICSON -- Howard W. Pitzer, 86, of Ericson died Sunday, May 24, 1998, at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Burwell Baptist Church with the Rev. David Koenigsberg officiating. Burial will be in the Ord cemetery in Ord.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Burwell Baptist Church. Memorials may be given to the family's choice. Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Pitzer was born July 22, 1911, in Plainview to Harvey and Euzelia (Johnson) Pitzer. He graduated from Plainview High School in 1930 and attended the University of Nebraska for two years.
He married
Florence Loos at Lincoln on March 22, 1935. They lived in Omaha and Oakdale from 1936 to 1942. Mr. Pitzer has lived in Ericson since 1945.
He operated the Pitzer Ranch and was the all-time leading breeder of AQHA quarter horse champions. He served as a president of the Nebraska Quarter Horse Association and was an honorary vice president of the American Quarter Horse Association. Mr. Pitzer also was a former Ambassador of Ak-Sar-Ben.
He received the Nebraska Stockgrowers Association Award of Merit in 1961, the Record Stockman of the Century Award in 1971 and was honored the same year as a member in the N.I.L.E. Hall of Fame in Billings, Montana. He was honored by the Block and Bridle Nebraska Hall of Fame College of Agriculture in 1974. Mr. Pitzer received the Ak-Sar-Ben Agricultural Achievement Award in 1987. Mr. Pitzer and Two Eyed Jack were both inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame at the convention in Seattle, Washington.
He was a member of the Ericson United Methodist Church. He was a past member of the Diamond Lodge 29, Scottish Rite, Tehama Temple and Elks 2371.
Survivors include his wife, Florence; a daughter, Kay Brinkman; two grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren, all of Ericson.
He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, a sister and two brothers.
Margaret Svoboda
NORTH BEND -- Margaret Katherine Svoboda, 87, of North Bend died Friday, May 22, 1998, at the Birchwood Manor in North Bend.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Schuyler. The Rev. Norman Porath will officiate. Burial will be in the Columbus Cemetery.
Visitation will be one hour prior to time of services on Wednesday. Mrs. Svoboda was born Aug. 4, 1910, in Platte County to William and Katherine (Mrs. Louis) Stevenson. She attended school at Dist. 9 in Platte County.
Kracl Funeral Chapel of Schuyler is in charge of arrangements.
The family suggests memorials to the donor's choice.
She married
Stanley Anton Jonas in Nebraska City in 1933. He died in 1969.
On Feb. 3, 1973, she married
Orland Svoboda at Trinity Lutheran Church in Schuyler. She was a homemaker and lived her entire adult life in the Schuyler area.
She was a member of the church.
Survivors include her husband; four children, Stanley of Schuyler Kay Trofholz of Fremont, Delbert of Omaha and Trudy Kmoch of Grand Island; two step grandchildren, Donald Svoboda of Fremont and Donna Boston of Omaha; 10 grandchildren; six step grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two step great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one brother, William Stevenson; one sister, Dorothy Houdesheldt; a granddaughter; and a step son, Larry Svoboda.
