U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Ronald Heerman
BURWELL -- Ronald L. Heerman, 59, of Burwell died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at the Valley County Hospital in Ord.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John's Lutheran Church in Burwell. The Rev. Greg Volzke will officiate. Burial will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in St. Matthew's Lutheran cemetery at rural Wisner.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Eberle-Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Jimmie McHugh
SHELTON -- Jimmie L. McHugh, 79, of Shelton died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at his home.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. The Rev. Jerry Quandt will officiate. Burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Mr. McHugh was born on March 23, 1918, at Wolbach to James and Elna (Christensen) McHugh. He grew up and attended school in Wolbach.
He worked at various jobs before entering the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in the Aleutian Islands and took part in the invasion of Leyte.
He married
Laurella Boren on July 20, 1946, at Smith Center, Kan. Mr. McHugh worked as a carpenter at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant and then for Dick Franzen until 1968. He did odd jobs until ill health forced him to retire. The couple moved to Shelton in 1980. Mrs. McHugh died on Jan. 17, 1994.
Mr. McHugh was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.
Survivors include three sons, Jimmie of Alda and Tom and Galen, both of Grand island; two daughters, Sandra Collins of Grand Island and Gloria McHugh of Shelton; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and two brothers, Ernest of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Virgil of Chicago.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Amil and Edmund; and two sisters, Camilla Pokorney and Eleanor Kersey.
Dr. Otis Miller
ORD -- Dr. Otis W. Miller, 77, of Ord died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at the Valley County Hospital in Ord.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ord United Methodist Church. The Revs. Dennis Ritchey and Paul Day will officiate. Burial will be in the Ord City Cemetery. The Ord Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion will conduct military rites.
There will be no visitation. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the Ord Rescue Unit, the Ord Evangelical Free Church or the family's choice.
Dr. Miller was born on April 17, 1920, at Oshkosh to Robert and Mabel (Robinson) Miller. He graduated from Garden County High School at Oshkosh and attended Kearney State College before joining the National Guard in 1939.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1940 to 1946 in the Pacific.
He married
Beverly Madsen on May 26, 1946, in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of science from Kearney State College in 1947 and graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical School in Omaha in 1951.
Dr. Miller moved to Ord in 1952 and went into partnership with Paul Martin. Dr. Miller was a family practice physician and surgeon in Ord until his death. He was an avid supporter of alternative medicine and freedom of choice in medical care.
Dr. Miller had been a member or officer of many medical associations and received many medical honors. He was an associated professor at the University of Nebraska Medical School, was associated with the John Birch Society for 40 years and served as a Kearney State College Foundation trustee from 1967 to 1978.
He was a member of the Ord Evangelical Free Church, VFW and American Legion. He served on the Ord school board for 16 years, including 10 years as president. He had coached for the American Legion baseball program and served as Ord High School team physician for 35 years.
He enjoyed raising horses, hunting, fishing, football and especially Nebraska football.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Robert of Bridgeport and Jon of Omaha; two daughters, Judy (Mrs. Terry) Kowalski of Kearney and Sue (Mrs. Brad) Staab of Ord; 15 grandchildren; two sisters, Leola Stevenson of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Reba Hagemeister of Crawford.
He was preceded in death by one son, Bill; and one brother, John Miller.
Genevieve Radke
ELYRIA -- Genevieve Lucille Radke, 87, of Elyria died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at Grossmont Hospital in LaMesa, Calif., while visiting her family.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Ord. Burial will be in St. Mary's cemetery at Elyria.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m., with a 7:30 p.m. rosary, Tuesday at Ord Memorial Chapel.
'Vic' Thompson
AURORA -- Norman Victor "Vic" Thompson, 73, of Aurora died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at Memorial Hospital in Aurora.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora. The Rev. Joe Scahill will officiate. Burial will be in the Aurora Cemetery.
There will be no visitation.
Mr. Thompson was born on July 22, 1924, at El Dorado, Kan., to Stephen Victor and Olivia (Hale) Thompson. He grew up and was educated at El Dorado and graduated from El Dorado High School in 1941. He attended Wichita University.
He served during World War II in the U.S. Army Air Force from Nov. 4, 1942, to Nov. 17, 1945.
He married
Margaret Foster on Feb. 24, 1946, at Winfield, Kan. They lived in Wichita, Kan., Chicago and several construction sites in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. They moved to Nebraska on a construction job in 1953.
They moved to Aurora in 1962, and he began working as a parts man for Wortman Motors. He began selling life insurance in 1965, and they owned and operated the SYA Cafe in Aurora. He began working for Red Rooster Auto Supply in Grand Island in 1973 and retired after 14 years. Mrs. Thompson died on Aug. 26, 1987. Since his retirement, Mr. Thompson had been in failing health.
He was a member of the Aurora United Methodist Church, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1946 and Aurora Post 4993.
Survivors include two sons, Michael of Sutton and Norman of Alta Vista, Kan.; two daughters, Stephanie Penner and Dawn Haymart, both of Aurora; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one brother, Tom Thompson of Houston; and a sister, Janie Morris of Wichita, Kan.
Elizabeth Voyles
PHILLIPS -- Elizabeth Luella Voyles of Phillips died Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998, at Memorial Hospital in Aurora.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora. The Rev. Terry Otto will officiate. Burial will be in the Phillips Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the mortuary.
Mrs. Voyles was born on the family farm south of Phillips to Edgar and Lois (Allen) Otto. She attended grade school at Spanogle Country School and graduated from Phillips High School. She received her teaching certificate from Peru State College and taught for three years at Pleasant Hill School in Hamilton County.
She married
Virgil Voyles in 1938. The couple lived in York for several years before moving to Bellevue. She taught in the Bellevue schools for many years.
She moved back to Phillips following the death of her husband.
She was a member of the Phillips United Methodist Church.
Survivors include nieces, nephews and cousins.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Deanna Lynn.
Bernice Gettko
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa -- Bernice Gettko, 89, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 15, 1998, at Parkridge Manor in Pleasant Hill.
Services were Monday at Iles Grandview Park Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa. Burial was in Chapel Hill cemetery at Des Moines.
Memorials are suggested to Grace Church or the Commission of the Blind.
Mrs. Gettko was born at Chapman to Lewis and Minnie (Dye) Powell. She grew up at Central City and had spent the past 40 years in Des Moines.
She worked at Look Magazine for 14 years, retiring in 1971.
She was a member of Grace Church and the Independent Order of the Foresters.
Survivors include two daughters, Delores Lou Zichek of Grand Island and Joy Turner of Des Moines, Iowa; one son, Jerry C. May of Hutchinson, Kan.; and one sister, Kathleen Nichols of Sun City, Ariz.
