U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Elizabeth Seidel
St. Paul -- Elizabeth B. Seidel, 93, formerly of St. Libory, died Thursday, July 16, 1998, at Heritage Living Center in St. Paul.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Libory's Catholic Church in St. Libory. The Rev. David Rykwalder will officiate. Burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park cemetery in Grand Island.
A parish rosary will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the church.
Peters Funeral Home in St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.
Miss Seidel was born on Dec. 3, 1904, at Tremessen, Germany, to Karl and Pauline (Wache) Seidel.
She received her early education in Germany and then managed a candy store. Most of her family died during World War II. At that time, she came to America. She later returned to Germany, but due to the destruction of the war, she decided to return to America. She lived in St. Libory with her cousins. She took care of her cousins until their deaths.
She became a United States citizen on June 24, 1971. She continued to live in St. Libory until entering Heritage Living Center in St. Paul in December 1992. She lived there the rest of her life.
She enjoyed children and was known to many of them as the candy lady.
She was a member of St. Libory's Catholic Church and its Altar Society.
Survivors include one nephew, Robert Seidel of Bonn, Germany; and her guardian, Anita (Mrs. Warren) Leschinsky of St. Libory.
Dr. James Bell
YORK -- Dr. James Bell, 76, of York died Sunday, July 19, 1998, at his home.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church in York. The Rev. Harry Brown will officiate. Private family graveside services will be at Greenwood Cemetery.
Dr. Bell was cremated. There will be no visitation. Metz Mortuary in York is in charge of arrangements.
The family suggests memorials to the York Community Foundation or the church.
Dr. Bell was a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School. He was a family practice doctor and surgeon.
He was a Korean War veteran who served on the USS Consolation hospital ship.
He practiced at Bell Clinic in York until his retirement in 1986. He was a 30-year medical director at the Nebraska Center for Women in York. He was past chief of staff at York General Hospital, examining physician for Burlington Northern Railway and flight surgeon examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration.
He was a member of the American and Nebraska Medical Associations and fellow of the International College of Surgeons.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in York, York Elks Lodge, York American Legion Post 19, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Masonic Lodge 56 A.F. & A.M., York Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar and Sesostris Shrine, past president of Meridian Shrine Club, member of Jesters and examiner for the Children's Shrine Hospital in Minneapolis.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, James S. Bell II of Mundelein, Ill., and Dr. Richard P. Bell of Norfolk; one daughter, Courtney (Mrs. James) Nixon of York; seven grandchildren; and one brother, Richard K. Bell of Leavenworth, Wash.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Jane Bell Dobson.
Sheri Fhuere
NORTH PLATTE -- Sheri L. Fhuere, 20, of North Platte died Thursday, July 16, 1998, at her home.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Adams and Swanson Chapel in North Platte. The Rev. Noah Palmer will officiate.
The casket will be closed. Visitation for register book signing will be from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Memorials are suggested to the couple's child.
Mrs. Fhuere was born on May 10, 1978, in Lincoln to Lonnie and Donna (Long) Trueblood. She attended school in Kearney and later in Holdrege.
She married
Michael Fhuere on Sept. 7, 1996, in North Platte.
She enjoyed drawing and sketching and was an avid motocross fan.
Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Samantha Renae; her mother and stepfather, Donna and Robert Gellenbeck of Lakeview, Ark.; a sister, Crystal Trueblood of Grand Island; and maternal grandparents, Charles and Margaret Long of Lakeview, Ark., formerly of Grand Island.
Pat Hart
BEAVER LAKE -- Pat Hart, 66, of Beaver Lake, formerly of Albion, died Monday, July 20, 1998, at his home.
Services are pending with Levander Funeral Home of Cedar Rapids.
James Roth
WICHITA, Kan. -- James Donnell Roth, 55, of Wichita, Kan., formerly of Grand Island, died Saturday, July 18, 1998, in an airplane accident in Marion County, Kan.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Evangelical Free Church in Grand Island. The Revs. Philip Thengvall and Gary Schulte will officiate. Burial will be in Hesston, Kan.
Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the church or to Trinity Equipping Center in Moscow, Russia.
Mr. Roth was born on Jan. 3, 1943, at Williamsburg to Vernon and Lois (Kauffman) Roth. He attended Hesston Academy, Hesston College and Wichita State University.
He worked in Salina and Great Bend with GMAC and was involved in several businesses in Grand Island, including True Value Home Center and Superior Mortgage Co. He was a recent owner of Midwest Communications and Park Gardens Construction.
He married
Donna Goertzen on June 14, 1969, at Henderson.
He was a member of the Evangelical Free Church in Grand Island, National Home Builders Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Survivors include his wife; one son, Chris; one daughter, Shanna; his mother, of Hesston, Kan.; one brother, Lowell Roth of Hesston, Kan.; and three sisters, Joanne Roth of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Rebecca Roth of Hesston, Kan., and Marcia Huxman of Moundridge, Kan.
His brother Stanley also died in the plane crash.
He was preceded in death by his father; one sister, Brenda; and one brother, Philip.
Clarence Gestwite
James Clarence Gestwite, 74, of the Grand Island Veterans Home, formerly of Ansley, died Wednesday, June 10, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Broken Bow Cemetery. The Rev. Henry Duerksen will officiate.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow.
Memorials are suggested to the donor's choice.
Mr. Gestwite was born on July 5, 1923, at Berwyn to Samuel C. and Bertha Alice (Trotter) Gestwite. He was a graduate of Ansley High School.
Mr. Gestwite served in the U.S. Navy from Oct. 25, 1944, to March 8, 1946. After his discharge, he lived in Broken Bow. He moved to Omaha in 1953 and worked as a car salesman.
He returned to Ansley in 1960. He began working as a truck driver for Gary Smith in 1970 and retired in the mid-1970s. He continued to live in Ansley until moving to the veterans home in August 1996.
Mr. Gestwite was a member of the American Legion in Ansley.
Survivors include one son, Bob Gestwite of Ansley; one daughter, Susan Armstrong of Fort Calhoun; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one sister, Iola.
