U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
'Rosie' Dugan
GREELEY -- Rose Mary "Rosie" Dugan, 75, of Greeley died Monday, Aug. 14, 2000, at the Greeley Care Home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Church in Greeley. The Revs. Gerald J. Carlson, John Cook and James Warner will officiate. Burial will be in Sacred Heart cemetery in Greeley.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday with a Scripture wake service at 7 p.m., followed by a Mass at 7:30 p.m. at the church. The family will receive friends from 5 to 6 p.m. Visitation will continue after the Wednesday evening Mass, as well as before services on Thursday morning.
Memorials may be made to the family.
Curran Funeral Chapel in Grand Island is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Dugan was born on April 8, 1925, at rural Greeley to Mark and Elizabeth (Barry) Smith. She grew up and was educated in Greeley, graduating from Greeley Sacred Heart in 1944.
She married
James H. Dugan on July 24, 1944, at Sacred Heart Church in Greeley. They lived and farmed in the Greeley area. Mr. Dugan died on Sept. 14, 1972.
Mrs. Dugan enjoyed dancing, music and watching her children's and grandchildren's ball games.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Church, Catholic Daughters and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Survivors include five sons, Joe, Larry and Gerald, all of Greeley, Bob of Grand Island and Mark of Elba; five daughters, Jeannie (Mrs. Robert) Peterson of Elkhorn, Rose Marie "Ree" (Mrs. Doug) Cargill of Ord, Diane Dugan of Keenesburg, Colo., Donna (Mrs. Jim) Allen of Grand Island and Pamela (Mrs. Dan) Dutcher of Wakefield; 51 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three brothers, Lawrence Smith and Jack Smith, both of Greeley, and Jerry Smith of Wolbach; and two sisters, Elizabeth L. (Mrs. Thomas) Costello of Grand Island and Dorothy Zeleski of Central City.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by two sons, an infant son, Mark, and Marty; four grandchildren; one brother, William "Billy Joe" Smith; and an infant sister, Catherine Smith.
Frank Klapal
BROKEN BOW -- Frank John Klapal, 80, of Broken Bow died Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2000, at BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church in Broken Bow. The Rev. Charles Spence will officiate. Burial will be in the National cemetery in Valley County.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow.
Memorials have been established to the American Cancer Society, the Broken Bow Fire Department and the church.
Mr. Klapal was born on May 6, 1920, near Sargent to Fred and Bessie (Scheinost) Klapal. He attended rural school near Sargent.
He married
Mildred Stefka on April 22, 1942, at Broken Bow. Mr. Klapal worked for the city of Broken Bow and was fire chief for 14 years, retiring in April 1986.
Mr. Klapal was a member of the United Methodist Church in Broken Bow, Broken Bow Elks Lodge 1688 and the Western Fraternal Life Association.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, F. Marvin of Denver and Bryon S. of Castle Rock, Colo.; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; six stepgrandchildren; 10 stepgreat-grandchildren; one stepgreat-great-grandchild; and one brother, Eldon of Dothan, Ala.
He was preceded in death by one son, Gordon John; and an infant brother.
Veronica Moroney
BROKEN BOW -- Veronica Mary Moroney, 93, of Broken Bow died Sunday, Aug. 13, 2000, at Sandhills Manor Nursing Home in Broken Bow.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Anselmo. The Rev. Mark Maresh will officiate. Burial will be in Dale Catholic cemetery near Merna.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with a Christian wake service will be at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at Govier Brothers Chapel in Broken Bow.
A memorial has been established to the Merna Fire and Rescue Unit.
Mrs. Moroney was born on June 30, 1907, just south of New Helena to Walter B. and Anna (Knoell) Williams. The family moved several times while Mrs. Moroney was growing up. She graduated from Anselmo High School in 1926.
She received her teacher's certificate at St. Ursula's Academy in York in 1927 and started teaching in Upper Dale Valley District 58, near Anselmo, where she taught for three years.
Mrs. Moroney married
Thomas J. Moroney on April 22, 1931, at St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Anselmo. The couple lived in the Upper Dale Valley for 37 years. They wired their home for electricity before rural electrification came to the area, and the family enjoyed radio and television before many of their neighbors.
Mrs. Moroney moved to Grand Island after the death of her husband on Aug. 26, 1965. She moved to Merna on March 16, 1974, and entered Sandhills Manor in March 1996.
She loved to help people, often baking bread for the poor. She was an active member of the Catholic Church.
Survivors include three sons, Thomas of Grand Island, William of Merna and Roger of Lake Dallas, Texas; three grandchildren; one stepgrandchild; two stepgreat-grandchildren; one stepgreat-great-grandchild; and a sister, Marjory Ford of Provo, Utah.
She was preceded in death by a stepgranddaughter and eight brothers.
Peter Merten
85, Retired Funeral Director
Peter J.V. Merten, 85, of Grand Island, died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Pauls Lutheran Church. The Rev. John D. Russell will officiate. Burial will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m.
Memorials are suggested to St. Pauls Lutheran Church or the Nebraska Veterans Home Special Care Unit.
Mr. Merten was born April 29, 1916, at Blue Hill to Peter J. and Jesse P. (Robinson) Merten. He grew up in Blue Hill, graduating from Blue Hill High School in 1934.
He attended junior college at St. Joseph Military Academy in Hays, Kan., graduating in 1936. He then went to Williams Institute of Embalming in Kansas City, Kan.
He married
Viola E. "Susie" Merten on May 16, 1937, at Seneca, Kan. He began his funeral service profession in Fairbury at the Nuckolls Home for Funerals where he worked until coming to Grand Island in 1942 with Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. He retired in 1991. He served in the U.S. Navy from June 1945 until April 1946.
He was an active member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, having served on the church council. He was a member of the Liederkranz, Platt-Duetsche Society, V.F.W. and American Legion Post 53 of Grand Island.
Survivors include his wife; three daughters and sons-in-law, Judy and James Kraeger of Patentine, Ill., Pamela and Randall Vang of Wichita, Kan., and Gayle Hahn of Grand Island; one son and daughter-in-law, Robert P. and Lee Merten of Arnold, Calif.; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, a grandson and a great-grandson.
Rozella Salvador
74, Nursing Assistant
Rozella M. (Bigley) Salvador, 74, of Grand Island died Tuesday, July 31, 2001, at Beverly Healthcare in Lakeview.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Doniphan United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jeff Hale will officiate. The body will be cremated following the services.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday with the family receiving friends from 4 to 6 p.m. at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.
Mrs. Salvador was born July 7, 1927, at Omaha to Frank H. and Edna M. (Adams) Cheney. She grew up and attended school in Aurora and finished her education in Grand Island.
She married
Kenneth L. Bigley on July 22, 1953, in Grand Island. They lived in Greeley and then Grand Island. She raised her family before becoming a certified nursing assistant. She worked at the Baumann Home, now known as Wedgewood, then at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant. She later worked at Lakeview Nursing and Rehab Center and provided private care for people.
She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Eagles and the Doniphan United Methodist Church. She enjoyed gardening, reading, her dogs and feeding birds and squirrels.
Survivors include a son, Larry Bigley of Grand Island; three daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Greg Walker of Kansas City, Mo., Barbara and Dan Bowden of Doniphan and Mary Pedersen of Texas; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother, Donald Cheney of Stanton; and sister, Mildred Bowdell of Wall Lake, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth in 1965; a son, Frankie Joe Bigley in 1968; a brother, Cecil Cheney; and two sisters, Adeline Shenshew and Ruth VanBuskirk.
