U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Kermit Durr
OMAHA -- Kermit H. Durr, 70, of Omaha died Saturday, Aug. 18, 2001, at Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha following a brief illness.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Omaha with the Rev. Lucius Astuto officiating. Burial will be in Resurrection cemetery in Omaha.
Rosary will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler Funeral Chapel in Omaha.
The family asks for masses to be said as a memorial.
Mr. Durr was born on June 27, 1931, in Talmage to Hubert and Bertha Durr. He graduated from Talmage High School in 1949 and then went into the Navy and served in the Korean War.
He married
Joan F. McGargill on Dec. 27, 1957. Mr. Durr worked at the U.S. Post Office in Omaha as an electronic technician from 1958 to 1986, then worked for Metropolitan Community College until 1998 and recently worked for Linweld in Omaha. After many years of going to school part time, he graduated from Metropolitan Community College with honors in 1997 with a degree in industrial technology.
He enjoyed creating metal sculptures to sell at craft shows or give as gifts. He was instrumental in getting metal sculpting into the curriculum at Metropolitan Community College. He enjoyed golf, chess and being a ham radio operator.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Survivors include his wife; four sons and a daughter-in-law, John Durr, Joe Durr and Kevin Durr and his fiancee, Debbie Heng, all of Omaha and Garry and Vivian Durr of Nebraska City; six daughters and sons-in-law, Suzanne and Tracy Schonberner, Jacqui and Kevin Pfeiffer and Jamie and Nate Meier, all of Omaha, Terri and Bobby Cash of Somerset, Ky., Mary and John Wenzl of Nebraska City and Julie and Jim Kucera of Bellevue; 16 grandchildren; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Mary and Leonard Kaiser of Nebraska City and Dorothy Sullivan of Lincoln; a brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Patsy Durr of Jefferson, N.C.; two sisters-in-law, Sister Donna Marie McGargill of Grand Island and Jan McGargill of Carter Lake; and three other brothers-in-law, John McGargill and Frank McGargill, both of Earp, Calif., and Gerry McGargill of Omaha.
Mary Lou Haggart
67, Music Teacher
NELIGH -- Mary Lou Haggart, 67, of Neligh died Monday, Aug. 20, 2001, at the Neligh Nursing Center.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Clearwater United Methodist Church. The Rev. Kay Alnor-Moyer will officiate. Burial will be in the Grand Island cemetery at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Huffman's Snider Chapel in Clearwater.
Memorials are suggested to the Summerland Golf Course or the Golden Tones Scholarship Fund.
Mrs. Haggart was born Dec. 3, 1933, at Sioux City, Iowa, to Loy L. and Helen Ruth (Rundell) Beerman. She grew up at Dakota City and graduated from the South Sioux City Nebraska High School in 1951. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1951 to 1953.
She married
Earle James Haggart on March 28, 1954, at Salem Lutheran Church in Dakota City. They lived in several locations in Nebraska and in 1984 moved to Clearwater where he was president of the Citizens State Bank. After retirement the couple continued to live at Clearwater.
She graduated from Hastings College in 1972 with a bachelor of music education degree with instrumental and choral endorsements. She did post graduate work at Kearney State College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She taught music in a number of Nebraska communities including public schools at Juniata, Roseland, Creighton and Clearwater. She was appointed in 1979 and 1982 to two terms on the Professional Practices Commission by then Gov. Charles Thone.
She was active in the Republican party, was State Central Committeewoman from 1968 to 1984, 1985 to 1992 and from 1994 to 2000. She was junior vice president of Republican Founder's Day in 1967, was a delegate to the state GOP conventions since 1964 and was named Outstanding Volunteer Nebraska Republican Party in 1974.
She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and Mu Phi Epsilon music sorority.
While in Clearwater, she was church organist and active in the United Methodist Church, was organizer and director of the Golden Tones Community Chorus from 1984 to 1995 and was a board member of the Summerland Golf Course.
Survivors include her husband; three daughters and a son-in-law, Karen Haggart of Grand Island, Linda Lofgren of Lincoln and Sara and Richard Thorson of Lincoln; and four grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one sister, Marlene Clarke.
Orville E. Gosda
Orville E. Gosda, 73, of Grand Island, died Saturday, May 19, 2001 at Beverly Healthcare Park Place.
Services are pending with Kleine Funeral Home.
Muriel McArthur
84, Girl Scout director
Muriel L. McArthur, 84, of Grand Island died Thursday, May 17, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Kleine Funeral Home. The Rev. Cheryl Lamb will officiate.
There will be no visitation. Mrs. McArthur was cremated.
Memorials are suggested to the Oncology Center.
Mrs. McArthur was born May 12, 1917, in Hastings to Guy and Nancy (Dew) Munn. She attended Hastings College and the University of Ohio. She was executive director of We-So-Braska and the Golden Rod Girl Scout Councils.
Survivors include two daughters, Carol Nissen of Anchorage, Alaska, and Kathy McArthur of Grand Island; one son, Robert Douglas Cruit of California; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Daniel L. McArthur and one daughter, Nancy E. Glandt.
Bernice Brockman
94, Farm Wife
BURWELL -- Bernice Augusta Frances Brockman, 94, of Burwell, died May 19, 2001, at the Community Memorial Health Center in Burwell.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell. Burial will be in Cottonwood cemetery in Burwell.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hitchcock Funeral Home in Burwell.
Memorials are suggested to St. John's Lutheran Church or the Burwell Ambulance Supply Fund.
Mrs. Brockman was born Nov. 12, 1906, in Yutan to George and Mary (Passo) Schulz. In 1909, she moved to Burwell with her parents and her brother to a farm in the Mira Valley. From 1914 to 1918 the family went back to Yutan returning to Burwell in 1919 to farm southeast of Burwell.
She attended grade school at District 14 and one year in high school. She stayed home to help care for her mother and help her dad and brother.
She married
Elmer Brockman on Feb. 20, 1929. The first two years of marriage they farmed in the Kent community and worked at the Wallace Ranch before moving to a farm southeast of Burwell, where they raised Hereford cattle.
After her husband's death in December 1974, she lived on the farm until moving to the Plaza in Burwell in August 1984. She moved to the nursing home in September 1995.
She enjoyed sewing, embroidery and crocheting.
She was the oldest charter member of the Burwell Lutheran Church. She enjoyed neighborhood card parties and going to dances.
Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law Richard and Dorothy Brockman; one daughter and son-in-law Mary Jane and Gary Larsen; three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and one brother, George Schulz Jr.
Steven Cromer
48, Dentist
CAIRO -- Steven L. Cromer, 48, of Cairo died Saturday, May 20, 2001, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Cairo United Methodist Church with the Rev. Alan Davis officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Pleasant cemetery in Cairo.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the Centura Foundation or to the Cairo United Methodist Church.
Apfel Funeral Home of Cairo is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Cromer was born Aug. 12, 1952, in Kearney to Chalmers and Ruth (Bachman) Cromer. His family moved to Lincoln in 1959. He attended Lincoln Public Schools and graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School in 1970.
During high school and college, he played numerous instruments and sang for a jazz and rock band that performed around Lincoln.
He married
Cheryl Oltman on Aug. 8, 1972, in Lincoln. The couple lived in Lincoln after their marriage where he did his undergraduate work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in 1983. In 1983, he and his family moved to Cairo where he started his dental practice.
He did a great deal of volunteering for Centura Public Schools, acting as a statistician, announcer at athletic events and setting up scholarships for students. He lived in Cairo up until the time of his death.
He was a member of the Cairo United Methodist Church, the church choir, the UNMC College of Dentistry Alumni Association as a board member and Cairo Masonic Lodge 324.
He enjoyed hunting and spending time with his children.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Silas of Kearney, Lucas and Quincy, both of Cairo; one daughter, Elise of Cairo; his parents, Chalmers and Ruth Cromer of Lincoln and one brother, Mark of Papillion.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Freda Cromer and Simon and Mamie Bachman.
