U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Opal Wilkins, 90
Opal Belle Wilkins, 90, of Fremont died Sunday, Jan. 18, 1998, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Blair.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the First Christian Church. Burial will be in Memorial cemetery in Fremont.
Opal Belle. Wilkins was born Aug. 20, 1907, in Omaha to Clarence and Leone (Moffitt) McCormick. She graduated from Blair High School in 1925. She attended Midland College in Fremont and taught in rural Washington County until her married
to Marshall Wilkins on Dec. 29, 1931, in Blair. She operated Wilkins Self - Service Laundry in Fremont from 1947 until the mid - 1970s.
She was a member of the First Christian Church in Fremont; its Home Builders Class, CWF, a Quilters Group and Arbor Vitae Chapter No. 92 Order of Eastern Star in Fremont. Survivors are one sister, Thelma M. Springgate of Grand Blanc, Mich.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Clarence L. (Pat) McCormick of Missouri Valley, Iowa; George and Delora McCormick of Texarkana, Ark.; C. N. (John) and Sara McCormick of San Bernardina, Calif.; and Glenn R. and Eileen McCormick of Oakland, Calif.; a brother-in-law, Henry C. Meador of Fremont; a special friend, Rose Martin, of Fremont; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Marshall; sisters, Mildred G. Fackler, Jeanette F. Meador, Grace L. Frazier and Lois L. King and a brother, William J. McCormick.
Memorials may be given to First Christian Church in Fremont.
Campbell - Aman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Frances Steyer, 86
Frances Steyer, 86, of Blair died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998, at Crowell Memorial Home in Blair.
Services will be 2 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Fort Calhoun Cemetery.
Frances Steyer was born Oct. 14, 1911, in Shelby, Iowa to Joseph an Sarah Sallman. The family moved to St. Paul, Neb., when she was a girl. She and her older sister, Esther helped their mother, a nurse, care for patients in their home hospital.
She graduated from St. Paul High School in 1928. She attended Hastings College for two years. She then taught grades 7 - 12 in a two - room country school near St. Paul for two years. She then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and graduated in 1933 with a bachelor's degree with an English major and Latin minor. She taught high school in Elm Creek, Neb. from 1933 to 1935. In 1935, she was hired to teach English and Latin at Fort Calhoun High School.
She met Ralph Steyer there and they were married
at her parents' home in St. Paul on Aug. 20, 1937. They lived in Fort Calhoun and she continued to teach until their son, William was born in January 1940. Because of her husband's career with the Farm Security Administration (now Farmer's Home Administration), which required relocating occasionally, they moved to Grand Island in 1942 and their daughter Kathy was born there in 1944. In 1945, they moved to St. Paul and their daughter Dorothy was born in 1946. Later that year, they moved to Clay Center. In 1948, they settled in Blair, where son Phil was born in 1953.
After the children were all in school, she began to work as a substitute teacher, at the Blair Public Library and taught Latin at Blair High School for a year. In the early 1960s, she returned to teaching full time at Fort Calhoun High School. She later moved to the Arlington School District, where she both taught English and served as high school librarian before retiring in the mid - 1970s. After a year off, she returned to Fort Calhoun High School for a two - year stint as librarian before retiring for good in the late 1970s. She had been a resident of Crowell Memorial Home for the past three years.
She was an active member of the American Association of University Women, Blair Rose Society, Order of Eastern Star and the First United Methodist Church.
Survivors are daughters and son-in-law, Kathy Steyer, Blair and Dorothy and Russell Stone of Los Angeles, Calif.; a son and daughter-in-law, Phil and Kate Steyer, Anchorage, Alaska; two grandchildren, Jennifer Nemanich of Los Angles and Alex Steyer of Anchorage; sisters - and brothers-in-law; nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ralph; a sister, Esther and a son, William.
Memorials may be given to the Blair Public Library.
Campbell - Aman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Marian Burbank, 93
Marian E. Burbank, 93, of Fremont died Sunday, Jan. 11, 1998 at Arbor Manor in Fremont.
Services are Wednesday at Moser Memorial Chapel in Fremont. Rev. Stephen Brownlee is officiating. Burial will be in the Blair Cemetery.
Marian E.. Burbank was born May 27, 1904, on a farm west of Orum, Neb. to Charles and Mathilda (Bendtzen) Hansen. She moved to a farm 1 1 / 2 miles south of Blair in 1912 and then a few years later moved into Blair, where she graduated from high school in 1922. She taught country schools in Wyoming and Nebraska. She attended beauty school in Lincoln where she operated a beauty shop for one year. She attended several summer sessions at colleges to increase her college credits, including a semester at Luther College in Wahoo. She graduated from Normal School at Dana College in 1926. She taught school at Fremont from 1928 to 1930. On Aug. 31, 1931, she married
Earl E. Burbank at Omaha. She moved to Tekamah in 1934 and operated the Clover Farm Store. A few years later, she taught school at Blair for one year and at Tekamah for five years until moving to Omaha in 1953, where she and her husband operated a Zesto Ice Cream Shop. She retired in 1965 and traveled for several years until settling at Jensen Beach, Fla.
She returned to Nebraska in 1987 and had been living at Arbor Manor since 1988.
She was a former member of the First Presbyterian Church at Tekamah and of the church circle and taught Sunday School there.
Survivors are a nephew and his wife, Dr. John E. and Helen Hansen, Jr., Wahoo; three nieces, Jeanne Parsons of Tallahassee, Fla.; Jacqueline Vrana of Omaha and Carol (Mrs. Don) Zacharisen of Arvada, Colo.; and a sister-in-law, Opal Stoffer of Fremont.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Earl; a sister, Esther Cram; and brothers, Edward Hansen, Elvin Hansen and John Hanson, Sr.
Memorials may be given to Arbor Manor Activities Department.
Grace Magill, 91
Grace Vera Magill, 91, died Sunday, Jan. 11, 1998, at the Tekamah Nursing Center in Tekamah.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church in Tekamah. Rev. Judith Clark Wharton will officiate. Burial will be in the Herman Cemetery.
There will be visitation from 2:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.
Grace Vera. Magill was born Feb. 3, 1906, to Henry and Eva (Schellinger) Hovendick on the family farm near Spiker, Neb. She attended New England and Hillcreek Schools west of Herman.
On Jan. 7, 1925, she married
Floyd Arthur Magill in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They spent most of their married
life farming west of Herman except for seven years, from 1936 to 1943, when they lived in Omaha. After retiring in 1961, they moved to Tekamah.
Survivors are daughters, Eva (Mrs. Marion) McCluskey and Norma Jean (Mrs. Carl) Schroeder, both of Tekamah; a son, Donald Magill of Arlington; a sister, Bessie Magill of Blair; a brother, Ivan Hovendick of North Bend; 19 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Floyd; a son, Merlin Magill; a daughter, Mary Ann Brown; brothers, Louie Hovendick and Fred Hovendick; a sister, Gladys Jackson; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Casketbearers will be grandsons, Dan Magill, Randy Magill, Keith Magill, Herb Clark, Norma Barr and Kent McCluskey.
Honorary casketbearers will be Dennis Knapp, Leroy Crom, Gary Magill, Terry Magill and Duane Magill.
Sandy Hennig will be organist. Dick Bernard will be soloist.
Hamel - Peck - Pelan Funeral Home in Tekamah is in charge of arrangements.
Edwin Nelson, 54
Editor's note: This is an updated obituary of one ran in the Jan. 5, 1998 edition of this on line newspaper.It contains some additional information. Edwin John Nelson, 54, died Friday, Jan. 2, 1998, at Sioux Falls, S.D.
Services were Jan. 5 at Campbell - Aman Funeral Home. Interment was private.
Edwin John. Nelson was born March 7, 1943, in Chicago, Ill. to Edwin Walter and Adeline (Jacobson) Nelson. He spent his early years living in Chapin Hall, Children's Home in Chicago and later in the Chicago area. He was an insurance agent. After his marriage to Victoria DeLuca, they moved to Iowa. They had two children. They divorced. He later married
Karen Fredrick. They created Services Plus Insurance. They were divorced in 1994, but she helped care for him during his illness. He had lived in Blair, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa, and had been in Sioux Falls the past year.
Survivors are two daughters, Kristin Nelson and Leslie (Chip) Bridges, both of Charlotte, N.C.; a sister, Carolyn Lee (Patrick) Simmons, Des Plaines, Ill.; a half - sister, Karen (Gary) Pressney, Wauconda, Ill.; a half - brother, Alan C. (Katy) Bingel, Hampstead, N. H.; his step - father, Roy C. Bingel of McHenry, Ill.; nephews, Mark S. (Mary) Schoor of Wauconda and Michael A. Schoor of Blair; and Christopher Bingel; nieces, Sandra Lee (Mike) Dorenski of Hayward, Wis.; Sheryl Lynn Bjornson of Barrington, Ill; Michelle Cashmore, Beth Pressney and Jennifer Bingel; and a dear friend, Karen Nelson.
He was preceded in death by his parents; an aunt, Emma I. Nelson and his grandparents, Martin and Laura Nelson of Blair.
Memorials may be given to Meals on Wheels of South Dakota, the Heart Association or the Diabetes Association.
Jane Schlapfer
Jane Schlapfer, 73 Jane E. Schlapfer, 73, died Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1998, at A. J. Merrick Manor in Fremont.
Memorial services were Friday at the Arlington Community Church in Arlington. Dr. Charles Lee officiated. Burial was in the Arlington Cemetery.
Mrs. Schlapfer was born June 7, 1924, in Missouri Valley, Iowa to William and Opal Thomas. She grew up in Missouri Valley and was a 1941 graduate of Missouri Valley High School. On Sept. 6, 1946, she married
Jack Schlapfer at Marysville, Kans. She moved to Arlington in 1941. She worked at Marshall Nurseries at Arlington until retiring in 1979.
She was a member of the Arlington Community Church and Arlington Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. No. 8332 Auxiliary, was a Sunday School teacher and did volunteer work for the bloodmobile.
Survivors are her husband, Jack; two sons and daughters-in-law, Gary and Joann Schlapfer and Jim and Linda Schlapfer; two daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Maynard Manka and Mary and Russ Thomsen; and her mother, Opal Thomas, all of Fremont; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Harold and Carmella Thomas of North Ridge, Calif. and Wayne and Marian Thomas of Sioux City, Iowa; two sisters and bothers-in-law, Norma and Paul Menking of Arlington and Judy and Foy Manuel of Marrietta, Ohio; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her father, William Thomas; a sister, Louis Hansen and a bother, David Thomas.
Memorials may be given to the Arlington Public Library or the Arlington Education Foundation.
Reckmeyer - Moser Funeral Home in Arlington was in charge of arrangements.
