U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Louise Barrett
Louise W. Barrett, 90, of Grand Island died Tuesday, March 27, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home Chapel in Grand Island. The Rev. Jim Keyser will officiate. Burial will be in the Grand Island City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Trinity United Methodist Church.
Survivors include a sister, Elizabeth Betty (Mrs. Allen) Behm of Lincoln.
Other than her husband, Cecil Barrett, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Carl and Arthur Kroeger.
'Dick' Henley
Richard H. "Dick" Henley, 66, of Grand Island died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at the Howard County Community Hospital in St. Paul.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in North Platte. The Rev. Richard Piontkowski will officiate. Burial will be in Floral Lawns Memorial Garden in North Platte.
Visitation was from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul, with a 7 p.m. vigil service. Further visitation is planned for Wednesday at Adams-Swanson Funeral Home in North Platte with a 7 p.m. rosary.
Memorials are suggested to the St. Paul emergency medical technicians.
Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Henley was born on April 14, 1934, at Detroit to Francis T. and Margaret M. (Moylan) Henley. Due to his father's career he grew up in various states, including Michigan, Maryland, Wyoming and Alaska, before moving to North Platte in 1947. He was a 1952 graduate of St. Patrick's High School in North Platte.
He began working for Nash Finch Wholesale Food Co. while a junior in high school and continued to work for them until his retirement in 1999, with the exception of two years in the military. He served in the U.S. Army in the Medical Corps from 1956 to 1958. He was stationed in Germany. It was during this time that he visited his mother's family in County Galway, Ireland. He lived in North Platte until the early 1970s, when Nash Finch transferred him to Grand Island.
Mr. Henley was a member of the Prairie Lake Boat Club and the Sherman Reservoir Association. He was also a member of American Legion Post 53 and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 378, both of Grand Island.
He was a water sports enthusiast.
Survivors include his fiancee, JoAnn Urbanski of St. Paul; and two brothers, Frank T. of Warner Robins, Ga. and Henry J. of Silver Spring, Md.
Fern Versaw
Fern E. Versaw, 79, of Grand Island died Tuesday, March 20, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the First Church of the Nazarene with the Rev. Dominic Pecoraro officiating. Burial will be in the Wood River cemetery in Wood River.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. with the family receiving friends from 4 to 7 p.m. at Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to First Church of the Nazarene.
Mrs. Versaw was born July 29, 1921, on a farm south of Moon Lake to George and Minnie (Jessup) McDaniel. She grew up in Johnstown, graduating from Johnstown High School in 1938. After graduation, she taught at a country school for one year. She helped to raise her two younger brothers, Arthur and George.
She married
Paul E. Versaw on April 24, 1939, at Ainsworth. The couple lived in Ainsworth until moving to Wood River in the spring of 1949, where she was a homemaker. They moved to Grand Island in 1984. At this time, she began quilting for other people. After 59 years of marriage, Mr. Versaw died on Dec. 31, 1998.
She was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Wood River and then in Grand Island. Throughout her life she remained active in the church.
She enjoyed quilting.
Survivors include five sons, Robert of Earlsboro, Okla., Francis of Black Forrest, Colo., Gene and Paul, both of Lincoln and Duane of Grand Island; one daughter, Helen Winstryg of Geddes, S.D.; a foster daughter, Debbie Dombrowski of Grand Island; 23 grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; two stepgreat-grandchildren; three brothers, Louis McDaniel of Omaha, Vernon McDaniel of Arkansas and Art McDaniel of Ainsworth; and two sisters, Lois Titus of Springview and Mabel Perisfield of Peoria, Ill.
Other than her husband, she was preceded in death by an infant daughter, an infant granddaughter, one foster grandchild and two brothers.
'Don' Wernke
Donald "Don" E. Wernke, 78, of Grand Island died Tuesday, March 27, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services are pending with Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home.
Vera Brannan
CENTRAL CITY -- Vera E. Brannan, 92, of Central City died Tuesday, March 27, 2001, at Litzenberg Long Term Care.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Central City with the Rev. Joy Savage officiating. Burial will be in the Central City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday with family receiving friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wagner Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to the United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Brannan was born July 5, 1908, at Schuyler to Eli and Emma (Brummer) Wiles. She grew up in the Clarks area and graduated from Clarks High School in 1926. She attended Nebraska Central College from 1926 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1930.
She married
Francis Brannan on Feb. 22, 1936, in Central City. The couple lived and farmed northeast of Central City from 1936 to 1978, when they moved into Central City. Mr. Brannan died on Oct. 22, 1991. Mrs. Brannan taught in rural Merrick County schools for 11 years.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church and was confirmed in 1923. She was a 4-H leader and member of Farm Bureau, the Wesleyan Sunday School class, Lucky Ladies Extension Club and United Methodist Women. She was a Bible school and Sunday school teacher.
Mrs. Brannan enjoyed traveling, crafts, crocheting, sewing, gardening and playing games and cards.
Survivors include three daughters, Donna (Mrs. Oren) Skiles of Arkansas City, Kan., Mary (Mrs. Charles) Eckery of Red Feathers Lakes, Colo. and Elaine Brannan of Houston; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one sister, Edith Lindgreen of Clarks.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
Carl Djernes
PHILLIPS -- Carl P. Djernes, 82, of Phillips died Tuesday, March 27, 2001, at his home after a lingering illness from prostate cancer.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora, with a 1:30 p.m. burial service at the Phillips Cemetery. The Rev. Al Duminy will officiate.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora.
Memorials are suggested to Messiah Lutheran Church, Tehama Shrine Transportation Fund at Hastings or Hospice in Grand Island.
Mr. Djernes was born on Oct. 16, 1918, in Marquette to Anton C. and Karen T. (Hemmingsen) Djernes. He attended school in Marquette and graduated in 1936. After graduation he lived in Omaha until 1940, when he moved to California and worked for Consolidated Aircraft.
On Dec. 6, 1941, he married
Margaret Farmer. She died from cancer.
On Oct. 8, 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps for officers' training to become a pilot. He was sent to England, where he flew 37 missions over Germany. He was awarded Air Medal with six clusters, three Bronze Service Stars and the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievements. He was discharged with the rank of captain on Aug. 31, 1945.
He returned to Omaha where he entered the engineering program at the University of Nebraska under the G.I. Bill. After three semesters he received an appointment to the U.S. Post Office as a rural mail carrier. He retired in 1964.
Mr. Djernes moved to Central City and was in a cattle feeding operation. He served as president of Livestock Feeders in 1969.
In December 1972, he married
Virginia Powers McKenzie in Reno, Nev., and moved to Grand Island, where he worked for the Co-op. Mrs. Djernes died in 1991 from a heart attack.
On June 13, 1992, he married
Doris Rathje and moved to the farm near Phillips. After his marriage, the couple traveled to Europe, Asia, Panama, Hawaii and throughout the United States.
He was a member of the Phillips Masonic Lodge No. 62, the Tehama Temple Scottish Rite, Provost Corp and Legion of Honor in Hastings. While in Omaha he was commander of Shrine Horse Patrol. He was also a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, Eighth Air Force Historical Society, Liederkranz, Platt-Duetsche Society and the Saddle Club.
He enjoyed working with his hands and did metal and woodworking.
Survivors include his wife Doris of Phillips; one sister, Dora Hamilton of Seattle; three stepchildren, Ed Rathje of Phillips, Linda Strotman of Aurora and Jane Pavek of Minnetonka, Minn.; eight step grandchildren; and three step great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Louise Djernes and Agnes McHargue.
