U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Willard Johnson
BROKEN BOW -- Willard C. Johnson, 82, of Broken Bow died Friday, Jan. 21, 2000, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Berean Church in Broken Bow with the Revs. Steve Hicks and Bryan Clark officiating. Burial will be in Broken Bow Cemetery.
Visitation is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Govier Brothers Mortuary.
Memorials are suggested to the Berean Church, Gideon's International and Maranatha Bible Camp.
Mr. Johnson was born on Dec. 30, 1917, north of Gothenburg to Victor G. and Ellen S. (Larson) Johnson.
He attended grade school at Rock Island Table School District No. 227 and graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1935.
He married
Eleanor Bratten at Gothenburg on Nov. 14, 1945. They lived in the Gothenburg area, where they farmed and ranched. In 1957, they moved to Broken Bow, where he was the executive director of Farm Credit Services, formerly the ASCS office. He retired in 1985. During this time, he continued to raise cattle in the Gothenburg and Broken Bow areas.
He was a member of the Berean Church, where he was very active and served as church treasurer for more than 40 years. He was a member of Gideon's International for 46 years and was a past 4-H leader.
He and his wife enjoyed traveling. They attended the Gideon's International convention for more than 34 years and the Berean national convention for more than 30 years. In 1997, they traveled to Israel.
Survivors include his wife of Broken Bow; two sons, Larry of Marietta, Ga., and Delane of Sumner, Wash.; one daughter, Marlene (Mrs. Jim) Davidson of Lincoln; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, Glendon Johnson of Broken Bow; and one sister, LaVon Cooper of San Diego, Calif.
'Charlie' Kamper
CENTRAL CITY -- Charles "Charlie" Kamper, 78, of Central City died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2000, at Litzenberg Memorial County Hospital in Central City.
Services are pending with Solt Funeral Home in Central City.
Iva King
NORTH LOUP -- Iva King, 87, of North Loup died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2000, at Valley County Nursing Home in Ord.
Services are pending at Ord Memorial Chapel.
Wilma Peterson
SHELTON -- Wilma E. Peterson, 87, of Shelton, formerly of Sargent, died Saturday, Jan. 22, 2000, at her caregivers' home in Shelton.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow with the Rev. Marvin Peterson officiating. Burial will be in Lone Tree cemetery at Weissert.
Visitation is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and from 8 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Lone Tree Cemetery.
Mrs. Peterson was born on May 19, 1912, in Custer County to Clarence and Edna (Evans) Barnes. Her mother died when she was young. Her father moved the family to Dewey, Wis. They later moved to Winter, Wis., where she graduated from high school in 1931.
She returned to the Custer County area, where she met and married
Pete Peterson on Oct. 1, 1932, at Broken Bow. They farmed in Weissert for more than 40 years, retired in 1976 and moved to Sargent. In 1991, she moved to Shelton to live with Barbara and Frank Rodriguez.
She was a member of Weissert Church of God, Weissert Wizards Extension Club, Jepthas Daughters, Rebekah Lodge and Dry Valley Aid. She wrote the "Weissert News" for the Custer County Chief and Sargent Leader newspapers.
Survivors include her husband, Pete, of Sargent; two sons, Norman of Kearney and Melvin of Berwyn; one daughter, Jeanette Lacey of Wood River; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; one brother, Glen Barnes of Superior, Wis.; four sisters, Lorraine Williams and Lucille Bergstrom, both of Superior, Wis., Clarice Flemming of Las Vegas and Dorothy Walton of Solon Springs, Wis.; and special friends and caregivers Barbara and Frank Rodriguez of Shelton.
She was preceded in death by an infant sister, Wilda Jane and one grandson.
Alice Rasmussen
KEARNEY -- Alice M. Rasmussen, 95, of Kearney, formerly of the Cairo area, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2000, at Mother Hull Home in Kearney.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Jacobsen Funeral Home in St. Paul with the Rev. John Gosswein officiating. Burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park cemetery in Grand Island.
Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Lincoln YMCA Camp Kitaki.
Mrs. Rasmussen was born on Aug. 29, 1904, at Grand Island to Jacob and Carolyn (Engle) Brandt. She was raised on a farm five miles east of Cairo. She attended Abbott rural school between Cairo and Grand Island. She worked at a Cairo cafe and on the family farm.
She married
Pete Rasmussen on Feb. 29, 1946, at Smith Center, Kan. They lived on the family farm six miles northwest of Cairo for all of their married
life.
Mr. Rasmussen died on Aug. 19, 1981. She continued to live on the farm until November 1996. She then lived in Grand Island, Ravenna and Kearney. She enjoyed animals and was a Lutheran.
Survivors include one son, Don, of Kearney; and three grandchildren.
Other than her husband, she was preceded in death by one grandson and three brothers, William, Herman and Louie Brandt.
Ruth Shoemaker
NORTH LOUP -- Ruth E. Shoemaker, 86, of North Loup died Saturday, Jan. 22, 2000, at her home in North Loup.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Ord Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Christian R. Mattison officiating. Burial will be in Hillside cemetery in North Loup.
There is no visitation. Ord Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society.
William "Paul" Hornbach
William P. "Paul" Hornbach, 44, of Grand Island died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001, at his home.
Services are pending with Livingston-Sonderman Funeral Home.
Alvin Kowalski Sr.
Alvin D. Kowalski Sr., 77, of Grand Island died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001, at the St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Livingston-Sonderman Funeral Home. The Rev. Tom Ryan will officiate. Burial will be at the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the family.
Mr. Kowalski was born on May 29, 1923, in Loup City to Walter and Minnie (Pionkowski) Kowalski. He received his education in Loup City.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army on Feb. 16, 1943, at Ft. Crook and he served in Italy during World War II. He received the Purple Heart. Mr. Kowalski was discharged on July 24, 1945. He moved to Grand Island after the war and worked as a carpenter for Claussen's Construction.
He married
Frances Meyer on Sept. 4, 1947, in Grand Island. They moved to the farm in 1949 and he worked as a dairy farmer until 1957. He then started Alko Angus Farms, raising Black Angus Cattle. He retired in 1984.
He was a member of the Catholic faith. He was also a member of the V.F.W., Disabled American Veterans, Legion Club, The Eagles, Saddle Club and Platt-Duetsche.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Alvin Kowalski Jr. and Randy Kowalski both of Grand Island; and four grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one brother, Leo Kowalski.
