U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Horace Verry
A memorial service for Horace D. “Hoss” Verry, 73, was conducted Jan. 5 at Adair Avalon Chapel in Tucson, Ariz., with military rites by the Fort Huachuca Select Honor Guard.
He died Dec. 29, 2005, at Tucson.
He was born in Keene, N.H., on July 14, 1932. Horace was united in marriage to Mary Jean Lutes on Dec. 30, 1956, at the First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. Mary Jean and children lived in Norfolk, close to her parents, the late Leon and Martha Lutes, during Horace’s military tour in Vietnam.
He will be remembered as a loving husband and father who sacrificed everything for his family and his country with 30 years of dedicated service as a U.S. Army Ranger, including tours in Korea and Vietnam. He was a retired lieutenant colonel.
Beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, he is survived by his devoted wife of 49 years, Mary Jean (Lutes), formerly of Norfolk; children, Marianne, Jon, Pamela, Jay and Heidi; grandchildren, Annemarie, Jay, Christopher, Amber, Thomas, Matthew, Justin, Jennifer and Madison; a great-grandson, Hayden; a sister, Elizabeth Verry; brother-in-law, Charles Lutes, and his wife, Ruth, of Norfolk; and a sister-in-law, Deborah Lutes, also of Norfolk.
Shirley Darling
ALBION - Shirley Darling, 65, of Albion died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at Boone County Health Center in Albion.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Albion with burial at Rose Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. at Levander Funeral Home in Albion.
Evelyn Fuller
O’NEILL - Services for Evelyn Fuller, 69, of O’Neill will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill with burial in the O’Neill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the mortuary with an 8 p.m. prayer service.
She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital in O’Neill.
Rev. Edward Gill
ALBION - Services for the Rev. Edward Gill, 92, Albion, will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Albion with burial Friday at Rose Hill Burial Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., following a memorial Mass at the Carmelite Sisters Convent.
Visitation will be 3-8 p.m. Tuesday at the church, with a rosary at 4 p.m. and wake at 7:30 p.m., and continue Wednesday after 9:30 a.m. at the church. Levander Funeral Home of Albion is in charge of arrangements.
He died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at Boone County Health Center in Albion.
Memorials are suggested to St. Michael’s Catholic School or Church in Albion.
Edward Bryan Gill, the son of John E. and Lillian Dunn Gill, was born May 22, 1913, in Omaha. He received his elementary education at Sacred Heart School in Omaha and attended Creighton Prep. He continued his education by attending Nazareth Hall Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colo. He was ordained on May 31, 1941, by Archbishop Ryan at St. Cecelia’s Cathedral in Omaha.
In the nearly 60 years that Father Ed served actively in the priesthood, he served St. Peter’s and St. Agnes parishes in Omaha, parishes in Coleridge, Norfolk, Plainview, Butte, Madison, Atkinson, Central City, Stanton, Osmond and St. Edward. Sister Agatha Marie and Sister Maxelinda assisted Father Gill in St. Edward. They built liturgy, Catholic school education, CCD programs, convert classes, ministry to care center shut-ins, offered several parish retreats, along with many, many other services to the many communities he served.
Father Gill enjoyed companionship with many of his friends while golfing, a sport which he dearly loved. He also enjoyed reading, listening to and collecting music tapes and CDs.
Following his official retirement on June 17, 1999, he and the sisters moved from St. Edward to Albion where he assisted Father Frank Baumert at St. Michael’s parish and continued to share his time along with Sister Agatha at Cloverlodge Care Center in St. Edward.
Following declining health the past several years, Father Gill entered Cloverlodge Care Center in October of 2004.
He is survived by several dear nieces and nephews, Sister Agatha Marie, and a host of friends.
Father Gill was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Lillian Switzer; two brothers, Jeremiah and John; and two infant brothers.
Laura Guenther
WEST POINT - Services for Laura C. Guenther, 89, of West Point will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church here with burial in St. Michael’s Cemetery.
Visitation will be until 8 p.m. Monday with a Christian Mothers rosary at 1:30 p.m. and wake at 7 p.m. at Stokely Funeral Home.
She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at St. Joseph’s Retirement Community in West Point.
Memorials may be made to the church or Guardian Angels Endowment.
Clayton Higgins
NIOBRARA - Services for Clayton Higgins, 91, of Niobrara are pending at Brockhaus Funeral Home in Niobrara. Mr. Higgins died Monday, Jan 9, 2006, at Alpine Village in Verdigre.
Wilma Lawson
PILGER - Services for Wilma D. Lawson, 85, of Pilger will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. Burial will be in the Pilger Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday from 3 to 8 p.m. at Kuzelka-Minnick Funeral Home in Pilger and continue Tuesday after 9 a.m. at the church.
She died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at Providence Medical Center in Wayne.
Wilma Dorothea Koepke was born June 29, 1920, at Winside to William and Christina (Muhs) Koepke. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Winside and later confirmed at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. Wilma attended Wayne County Rural School District 11 and at the age of 13 moved with her family to Pilger. She attended Pilger Public School and graduated from Pilger High School in 1940.
On June 23, 1940, she was united in marriage to Frank Lawson at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger. The couple lived in the Pilger area and Wilma worked as a cleaning lady and a painter. She painted houses, acreages and also painted rooms at the nursing home. Wilma was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 5767 of Wisner and the Fraternal Order of Eagles 3611 of Norfolk.
Survivors include son, Lanny Lawson of Norfolk, and children, Justin Lawson and Shelly Arkfeld of Yankton, S.D., and children, Cortney, Skylar, Autumn and Amber, Kipp, Lacy and BreeAnn Lawson, all of Norfolk; daughter, LaRene Oswald of Pilger and children, Daniel Oswald Jr. and fiancée Jessica Kampeska of Pilger, Robert Oswald and fiancée Shannan Lorenz of Lincoln and daughter Kailey Andrea Oswald of Sioux Falls, S.D.; daughter-in-law, Emily and husband Lawrence Haase of Wayne; sisters, Berneta Schaffer of Redford, Mich., Betty and husband Gene Baumert of Blair; sisters-in-law, Doris Koepke of Pilger and Evelyn West of Waukee, Iowa
Wilma was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son, Larry Lawson; son-in-law, Daniel Oswald; sister, Alma (Giese) Carsten; and two brothers, Junior and Henry Koepke.
Edwin Nathan
MADISON - Services for Edwin H. Nathan, 85, of Fremont, formerly of Madison, will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday at Resseguie Funeral Home in Madison.
Mr. Nathan died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Fremont Area Medical Center.
Edwin was born on Aug. 23, 1920, at St. Bernard, the son of Herman and Clara (Scheer) Nathan. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in St. Bernard. He attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School in St. Bernard.
On Dec. 31, 1942, Edwin married
Ellen Dieter at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Humphrey.
The couple farmed for seven years before moving to Madison in 1949, where he owned and operated Edwin Nathan Trucking for 36 years. Later, Edwin drove a school bus for the Madison Public Schools for nine years. He then was part-time courier for the Madison County Bank from 1996 to 2002.
Edwin was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 50 years and held offices on the Trinity Lutheran School Board and served as an elder.
In 2002, they moved to Fremont to be closer to family. At the time of his death, Edwin was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fremont.
Edwin is survived by his wife of 63 years; two sons and their spouses, Garry and Kathie of Fremont and Ed and Dee of Lincoln; two daughters, Sherry Ford of Bailey, Colo., and Terry Jo Nathan of Omaha; six grandchildren, Kim and husband Roger Bayliff of Fremont, Wendi and husband John Vecera of Fremont, Tina and husband Tom McDermott of Elkhorn, Lyndsey Nathan of North Platte, Trenton Nathan and Tori Nathan of Lincoln; nine great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Clarence, Willard and Norman; five sisters, Martha Knapp, Linda Knapp, Irene Oleson, Laverne Ambroz and Tillie Rakowsky.
