U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Donald Wolfe
LEXINGTON - Donald F. Wolfe, 67, of Lexington died Thursday, June 11, 1998, at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Christian Church in Lexington. The Rev. Tom Reynolds will officiate. Burial with military honors will be in Greenwood cemetery at Lexington.
Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday at Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Lexington. Further visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the church or the donor's choice.
Mr. Wolfe was born on Nov. 13, 1930, at Lexington to Lester and Laura (Hoadley) Wolfe. He attended school at Lexington and graduated from Lexington High School in 1948 and joined the U.S. Navy.
He returned to Lexington following the service and was self-employed as an auto mechanic. He later went back to school and received his degree in psychology from Kearney State College. He helped many people with his counseling throughout the years.
He was a former stock car driver.
Survivors include two sons, Gary S. of Betrand and Bradley H. of Longmont, Colo.; five daughters, Susan Stafford of Oklahoma City, Okla., Dawn Warden of Orleans, Aldeana (Mrs. Tom) Rubenthaler of Gothenburg, Melissa Wolfe of Columbus, Ohio, and Marcel (Mrs. Craig) Stevens of Riverdale; 16 grandchildren; one great-grandson; four brothers, Dean Wolfe of Lincoln, Dan Wolfe of Johnson Lake, Dave Wolfe of Overton and Dell Wolfe of Casper, Wyo.; and five sisters, Dee Latter of Lexington, Dorothy (Mrs. Don) Phillippi of Elwood, Donna (Mrs. Rich) Myers of Central City, Dixie (Mrs. Gregg) Roberts of Grand Island and Deb (Mrs. Rocky) Suhr of Lexington.
He was preceded in death by two infant brothers and one infant sister.
Jim Gillham
MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa - Jim Gillham, 53, of Mitchellville, Iowa, formerly of Grand Island, died of a heart ailment on May 23, 1998, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Services were on May 26 at Merle Hay Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mr. Gillham was born on March 15, 1945, in Little Rock, Ark., to Glenn and Kay Gillham.
Survivors include his parents; his wife, Betsy; a son, James of Tucson, Ariz.; a daughter, Deena Brady of Omaha; two grandchildren; two brothers, Steve of Prather, Calif., and Tim of Beaver Lake; and a sister, Gloria Follett of Des Moines.
David Fairbanks
David Robert Fairbanks, 6-month-old son of David Robert Fairbanks and Cathy W. Salinas of Grand Island, died Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998, at Children's Hospital in Omaha.
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary's Cathedral. The Rev. Jose Chavez will officiate. Burial will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery.
A rosary will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with visitation from 11 a.m. until service time Tuesday at the church.
Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
David was born on May 12, 1998, at Brownsville, Texas, to David Robert Fairbanks and Cathy W. Salinas.
Survivors include his parents and one sister, Elizabeth Fairbanks at home.
Filbert Cornish
BROKEN BOW -- Filbert Cornish, 81, of Broken Bow died Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998, in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Govier Brothers Chapel in Broken Bow. The Rev. Jim Stark will officiate. Burial will be in Cliff cemetery west of Merna.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the First Christian Church in Broken Bow and the Broken Bow Rescue Unit.
Mr. Cornish was born on March 6, 1917, in Omaha to Lee and Florence (Trexler) Cornish. The family lived in the Lodi community near Callaway, where he attended rural school. He graduated from Callaway High School in 1934 and from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
During World War II, he served with the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1946.
He married
Eleanor Christensen on April 19, 1953, at the Evangelical U.B. Church in Callaway. They lived on the Cornish homestead. He later left the farm to pursue his work in the legal system. He worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., and retired in 1978 after 23 years of service. He and his wife returned to Broken Bow. He had a law practice in Broken Bow and Callaway for the past 17 years.
He was a member of the First Christian Church in Broken Bow.
Survivors include his wife.
He was preceded in death by one sister and one brother.
Dr. Robert Gartner
AURORA -- Dr. Robert D. Gartner, 87, formerly of Lincoln, died Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998, at Hamilton Manor in Aurora.
There will be a private family graveside service and a memorial service at 11 a.m. Thursday at Lincoln Memorial Park.
Lincoln Memorial Park Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the donor's choice.
Dr. Gartner was born on April 22, 1911, at Lincoln to Adam and Mary (Apfel) Gartner. He attended school in Lincoln, attended the University of Nebraska for one year and graduated from the Illinois College of Chiropody and Foot Surgery in 1937.
He practiced podiatry in Lincoln with his brothers and nephew until his retirement in 1976.
He married
Hulda Marie Sattler on June 18, 1937, at Lincoln. Mrs. Gartner died in June 1992.
Dr. Gartner was a 52-year member of the Lancaster Masonic Lodge. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening.
Survivors include one son, Dr. Reg Gartner of Grand Island; two daughters, Diane (Mrs. William) Biesendorfer of Westminster, Colo., and Sharon Carlton of Lakewood, Colo.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by eight brothers and four sisters.
Donald Hill
ALBION -- Donald W. Hill, 61, of Albion died unexpectedly Monday, Nov. 30, 1998, at his home.
Services are pending with Levander Funeral Home in Albion.
William Svoboda
PALMER -- William C. "Bill" Svoboda, 93, formerly of St. Paul, died Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998, at Community Care of America in Palmer.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church in St. Paul with Ellen Campbell and the Rev. Ken West officiating. Burial will be in Elm Wood cemetery in St. Paul.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Peters Funeral Home in St. Paul.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Mr. Svoboda was born on Aug. 26, 1905, on the family farm north of St. Paul to Charles V. and Jane F. (Sevcik) Svoboda. He attended St. Paul Public School and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1924. He then attended the St. Paul Business College and later the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Upon completing his education, he returned to St. Paul, where he farmed.
He married
Evelyn H. Mitchell on Jan. 5, 1938, at Dwight. The couple lived in St. Paul and farmed in the area until retiring in 1968.
They continued to live in St. Paul until May 1997, when they moved to Community Care of America in Palmer.
The couple celebrated their 60th anniversary this year.
Mr. Svoboda enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing cards. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and was also an elder.
He was a former board member of the Howard County Grain and Feed and Farmers Union, a member of the St. Paul Gun Club, the Central Nebraska Ostomy Association and a lifetime member of the ZCBJ Lodge. He also was a former vice president of the Howard County Agriculture Society and had served as the livestock superintendent of the Howard County Fair.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Marlene (Mrs. Robert) Holt of St. Paul, Kathleen (Mrs. Johnnie) Wall of Littleton, Colo., and Judi (Mrs. Danial) Samuelson of Palmer; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Leona Svoboda of Palmer; and one brother, Jerry Svoboda of St. Paul.
He was preceded in death by four brothers, Carl, Clem and Alfred Svoboda and an infant brother; and four sisters, Estella Punchocar, Blanche Francis and two infant sisters.
