U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Virgil Knox
Virgil Knox, 89, of 1317 N. Ruby died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. The Rev. John D. Russell will officiate. Burial will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to St. Pauls Lutheran Church or St. Francis Medical Center.
Mr. Knox was born on Nov. 9, 1908, at Alda to Wesley J. and Ella Mae (Shipton) Knox. He was educated at District 6 School near Alda and then farmed near Alda.
He married
Dolores Yocum on June 3, 1932, in Grand Island. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for 39 years in maintenance. He retired in 1973.
He was a member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, the Union Pacific Old-Timers and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of the Way Employees.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Sharolyn (Mrs. Dale) Dibbern of Grand Island; two grandsons; one brother, Harold Knox of Roy, Utah; and one sister, Maxine Buck of Rosemont, Colo.
He was preceded in death by one daughter, Marilyn Waggoner in 1968; two brothers, Cecil Knox and Bethuel Knox; and three sisters, Ruth Knox, Erma Blair and Luella Seilbach.
Thomas Nishimura
Thomas Nishimura, 83, of Grand Island died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the First Christian Church. The Rev. Richard Bacon will officiate. Burial will be at a later date in Rose Hills cemetery in Whittier, Calif.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the American Cancer Society.
Mr. Nishimura was born on Jan. 5, 1915, at Kaneoha, Hawaii, to Ichisuke and Tami (Oshita) Nishimura. He grew up and was educated at Kaneoha. He moved with his family to Los Angeles at age 14.
He married
Agnes Tari on Aug. 30, 1941, at Honolulu. The couple lived in Los Angeles until moving to Grand Island in 1942. He was a self-employed poultry technician until retiring in 1980. He then worked as a carpenter in the off season.
He was a member of the First Christian Church, where he volunteered his time. He enjoyed yard work and gardening and was known for his rose and tulip gardens. He was a fan of all sports, especially Nebraska football.
Survivors include his daughter, Bonnie (Mrs. Gerry) Larson of Lincoln; two grandchildren; two brothers, Kazuyuki "Happy" Nishimura of Monterey Park, Calif., and Yasugi "Stanley" Nishimura of Los Angeles; and two sisters, Masumi "Betty" Medeiros of Honolulu and Taeko "Edith" (Mrs. Eddie) Kunishige of Gardena, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his wife; one son, Leonard; two brothers and one sister.
H. Clark Beck
GIBBON -- H. Clark Beck, 87, of Gibbon died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at the Wood River Good Samaritan Center.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Lutheran Church in Kearney. The Rev. Lavern Larkowski will officiate. Burial will be in the Gibbon Riverside Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Godberson Mortuary in Gibbon.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the Gibbon Rural Fire Department.
Mr. Beck was born on Aug. 17, 1910, in Alliance to Howard and Fannie (Messersmith) Beck. He moved to Lexington in 1919 with his parents and graduated from Lexington High School in 1929.
He married
Francis Helms in 1938 in Lexington. The couple farmed near Elm Creek. She died in 1942.
He married
LaVerna Gronewold on Sept. 3, 1944, at Gothenburg. They lived on a farm near Lexington, moved to a farm near Gibbon in 1959 and retired and moved into Gibbon in 1977. Mrs. Beck died in 1990.
Mr. Beck was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Kearney and a charter member of the Lexington Eagles Club.
Survivors include three daughters, Gloria Cooper of Orlando, Fla., Julene Nutter of Gibbon and Norma Stroup of Grand Island; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three sisters, Ruth Ashby of LaMesa, Calif., Edith Van Cleave of Grants Pass, Ore., and Viva Sorenson of Cozad; and two brothers, O.N. Beck of Cozad and Grant Beck of Lexington.
Besides his wives, he was preceded in death by two brothers and a sister.
'Rudy' Church
CLARKS -- Bob "Rudy" Church, 43, of Clarks died on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at Litzenberg Memorial County Hospital in Central City.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Clarks. The Rev. LaQuita McKibbin will officiate. Burial will be in Pierce Chapel Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Mr. Church was born on Oct. 8, 1954, in Central City to Jack and Elva (Schmid) Church. He graduated from Clarks High School in 1972. He was Clarks' first state champion wrestler, and the wrestling team also won the first team state championship for Clarks in 1972.
He married
Peggy Peterson on June 30, 1973, on Shenk's Island near Clarks. They lived southeast of Clarks for 20 years and moved into Clarks in January 1994.
Mr. Church farmed with his father. After his father's death in February 1992, he continued to farm and work for Koch Agri until 1995. He was a truck driver for BC&R; Trucking and Hayes Feed Yard out of Osceola.
He enjoyed hunting, bowling and sports activities.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Walter of Clarks; one daughter, Michelle of Clarks; his mother, of Clarks; one sister, Carole (Mrs. Duane) Buller of Clarks; and his grandmother, Marie Church of Clarks.
Besides his father, he was preceded in death by grandparents, Delora and George Schmid; and grandfather, Walter T. Church.
Mary Davis
DUNNING -- Mary Ellen Davis, 93, of Dunning died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at Jennie Melham Hospital in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Anselmo. The Rev. Mark Maresh will officiate. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Catholic cemetery at Broken Bow.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a rosary at 7 p.m., Friday at Govier Brothers Chapel in Broken Bow.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the Hawley Flats cemetery Fund.
Mrs. Davis was born on March 13, 1904, in the Hawley Flats community in Blaine County to Michael and Catherine (McDonald) McCormick. She grew up in Blaine County and attended rural schools.
She married
Ray Davis on Nov. 28, 1922, at Anselmo. They ranched in the Hawley Flats community through most of their marriage. Mr. Davis died on Feb. 3, 1989.
Mrs. Davis was a member of St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Anselmo.
Survivors include one daughter, Kathrine (Mrs. Frank) Hauser of Dunning; eight grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; seven step great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and one sister, Anna Davis of Sacramento, Calif.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by four brothers, Ed, Frank, Tom and James.
