Bertha Friesen
Henderson resident, 79
Bertha E. Friesen, 79, widow of Klaus H. Friesen, of Henderson, died early on Tuesday morning, Nov. 28, 2000, at the Henderson Care Center in Henderson.
Lewis Funeral Chapel of Henderson is in charge of arrangements.
Esther Ely
Fairmont resident, 93
Esther Ely, 93, of Fairmont, widow of Roy Ely, died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2000, in Geneva.
She was born on Nov. 20, 1907, at Grafton to Charles and Pearl (Cookus) Smith.
Survivors include two sons, Bob Ely of Richton, Miss., and Bill Ely of Lincoln; eight grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
Services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 10 a.m. at Farmer and Son Funeral Home in Geneva. Visitation will begin Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials may be sent in lieu of flowers to the Fairmont Senior Center, the Fillmore County Museum, or the Fairmont Rescue Unit. Graveside services will be at the Sutton City Cemetery in Sutton. The Rev. Betsy Galloway Carew will officiate.
Lowell Dickson
Rochester resident, 85
Lowell G. Dickson, 85, of Rochester, Minn., a native of Benedict, died Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester.
He was born Feb. 13, 1915, in Benedict where he grew up, graduated from high school in 1933, and farmed.
On March 8, 1941, he married Ruth E. Hilmer in Rockport, Mo. They farmed in rural Kasson, Minn., from 1956 until 1975, when they retired and moved to Rochester. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Kasson.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth; a daughter, Marcy Jensen of Rochester; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a brother, Robert (Rogene) of Stromsburg.
A son and a brother preceded him in death.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 25, in Kasson with the Rev. Mark Johnson officiating. Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kasson. Dibble Funeral Home in Kasson was in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church in Kasson, Minn.
Nancy Rystrom
Stromsburg resident, 64
Nancy R. Rystrom, 64, of Stromsburg died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Health Center in Osceola.
Services will be held Friday, Dec. 1, 2000, at 10:30 a.m., at the United Methodist Church in Stromsburg with the Rev. Lester Anderson officiating. Visitation will be held Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Palmer Funeral Home in Stromsburg. Burial will be in the Stromsburg Cemetery.
Betty Warner
Stromsburg resident, 73
Betty Lou Warner, 73, of Stromsburg, died Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 at the York General Hospital.
Betty was born Oct. 16, 1927 in Grand Island to Walter R. and Martha E. (Anderson) Seymour. She attended school in Benedict and graduated from Benedict High School. After graduation, she was employed at a law office in York for a short period of time. On March 24, 1946, she married Morace G. Warner at Zion Lutheran Church in Benedict. To this union, five children were born. The family resided southeast of Stromsburg on a farm. Betty was a homemaker and enjoyed raising her children. She sold Avon for a number of years. She was a member of the U-Go-I-Go Club, Salem Lutheran Church, and the church circle. She enjoyed music and served as a soloist at many weddings and funerals in the area.
Survivors include five children, Linda of York, Rodney (Lana) of Lincoln, Patricia (Terry) Mentink of Osceola, Teresa Brown of Hastings and Lisa (Scott) Johnson of Stromsburg; one sister, JoAnne (Willard) Bolton of Benedict; 14 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; one niece, one nephew and a host of other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Morace, who passed away in 1994.
Services are 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4 at Salem Lutheran Church in Stromsburg with Pastor Keith Brozek officiating. Visitation will be held Sunday, Dec. 3 from 2-4 p.m. at Palmer Funeral Home in Stromsburg. Interment will be in the Stromsburg Cemetery.
Palmer Funeral Home of Stromsburg is in charge of arrangements.
James Hubbard
North Carolina resident
A memorial service for James E. Hubbard, who passed away in Washington, N.C., on Oct. 20, 2000, will be held Monday, Dec. 4 at the First Christian Church in York, at 7 p.m.
Arthur C. Pieper
Seward resident, 92
Arthur C. Pieper, 92, of Seward died Friday, Dec. 1, 2000, in Milford.
He was the son of Carl and Martha (Manke) Pieper.
A retired farmer, he was a former member of Malcolm Fire District Board, Seward County Sheep and Wool Growers Association, founder of the Children's Barnyard at ther Seward County Fair, and the Cornhusker Poultry Club.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia Pieper; daughter, Erma (Neil) Naber of Waco; sisters, Esther Miller of Omaha and Mildred Plautz of San Antonio, Texas; and three grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Leonard; and sisters, Anna Saaijenga and Alma Lostroh.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Malcolm with the Rev. Robert Gadeken officiating. Burial will be in ther St. Paul Church Cemetery. Volzke Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Luwana Funk
Seward resident, 84
Luwana M. Funk, 84, of Seward died Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000, in Seward. She was born May 5, 1916, on a farm west of Gresham to Charles L. and Mattie M. (Heins) Behnken.
She was a 1933 graduate of York High School and attended the Kearney State Teachers College and taught school for a couple of years before attending the Lincoln Business College. She later worked at the State Capital before moving to Grand Island during the war to work at the Army Ordinance Plant. She later moved to Omaha to work for an insurance company.
Luwana was a lifelong student of art. She started under the direction of Gus Dunbier of Omaha. On August 6, 1953, she was married to Donald D. Funk of Tulsa, Okla., at Hollendale, Miss. She was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church at Seward.
Survivors include her husband Don of Seward; son, Jerry (Jean) Funk of Enid, Okla.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her brother, Dale (Donna) Behnken of York; sister, Dorothy O'Brien of York; and sister-in-law, Dorothy Behnken of Columbus; many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her parents; brother, Wayne; sisters, Opal and Ruth.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Metz Mortuary in York at 2:30 p.m. with the Rev. James Miller. Burial will be in the Greenwood Cemetery at York. memorials may be directed to Alzheimer Research.
Metz Mortuary of York is in charge of arrangements.
Ruth Jankovsky
Cheyenne, Wyo., resident, 98
Ruth Marie Jankovsky, 98, of Cheyenne, Wyo., died Friday, Dec. 1, 2000, at Mountain Towers Healthcare.
She was born on May 20, 1902, at Ohiowa. She was married to Carl R. Jankovsky on Feb. 28, 1935, in Nampa, Idaho.
Survivors include two sons, Donald Jankovsky of Boise, Idaho, and Carl R. Jankovsky, Jr., of Kamish, Idaho; two daughters, June Tolle of Maxwell, and Patricia Merwin of Cheyenne, Wyo.; 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and one great-great-great grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband; two brothers, Charles and William Houston, and one sister, Laventa Houston.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. at Schrader Chapel in Cheyenne with the Rev. Rodger McDaniel officiating.
Burial will be in Beth El Cemetery in Cheyenne.
Vernon Rich
York resident, 80
Vernon H. Rich, 80, of York died Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000, at York.
He was born Aug. 15, 1920, at York to Henry and Elfie (Ehlers) Rich. He was a longtime York County farmer and was an active member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York. A graduate of York High School, he enjoyed working with stained glass projects and collecting toy tractors. He was a World War II veteran with the United States Air Force.
On Dec. 11, 1943, he was married to Dorothy Obermier at Bakersfield, Calif.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, of York; one son, Lynn (Ronda) Rich of York; two daughters, Cindy (Ron) Sanders of Geneva and Carol (Terry) Cartwright of Lincoln; four grandchildren, Mike Sanders of Denver, Colo., Brian Sanders of Phoenix, Ariz., Donelle (Rich) Ellison of York and Kelly Snyder of Overland Park, Kan.; one great-granddaughter, Laura Lynn Ellison of York; one brother, Dean (Jean) Rich of York; a sister, Gloria Hoffman of Burlington, N.C.; and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother-in-law, Howard Hoffman.
Due to a construction project at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, Dec. 8, at Faith Lutheran Church in York with the Rev. Arthur Brinkmeyer officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery in York. Memorials may be directed to Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Visitation has begun at Metz Mortuary in York.
Betty Ackland
Grafton resident, 72
Betty Mae Ackland, 72, of Grafton died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2000, at the York General Hospital in York.
She was born on a farm near Fairmont on June 26, 1928, to Albert E. and Thelma Josephine (Seavey) Ackland. She attended District #11 country school near Fairmont. She remained at home to care for her parents and the farm her entire life. She was a member of the Jehovah Witnesses.
She was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents.
She is survived by her sisters, Ruth Rohla of Ventura, Calif., and Margaret Matlock of Grafton; brothers, Tom (Dorothy) Ackland of Grafton and Lionel (Edith) Ackland of Lushton; four nieces and five nephews as well as great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.
Services will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, 2000, at 2 p.m. at the Kohler Mortuary Chapel in Sutton with Robert Willcock officiating. Burial will be in the Grafton Cemetery. Memorials may be given in care of the family.
Wallace Obermier
Clarence, Iowa, resident, 82
Wallace R. Obermier, 82, of Clarence, Iowa, died Friday, Dec. 8, 2000, at the Clarence Nursing Home after a lengthy illness.
He was born on May 22, 1918, in York County to Walter and Anna (Finke) Obermier. He married Marilyn Ford on June 4, 1950, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowden, Iowa.
They farmed north of Clarence for 31 years. They retired and moved to Clarence in 1981. Wallace had been a resident of the Clarence Nursing Home for five years. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Stanwood, Iowa, and was a former member of the Lions Club and the Farm Bureau.
Survivors include his wife, Marilyn; daughters, Sherrie (Richard) Burcham of Silver City, N.M., Florence Ann (Glen) Kaiser of Anaheim Hills, Calif., Kathleen Fraseur of Tipton, Iowa, and Lorraine (Michael) Jordan of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; son, David (Reine) Obermier of Cedar Rapids; sisters, Viola Phillips of Waco, Reola Brahmstedt of Belvidere, Ill.; brothers, Russell of Julesburg, Colo., Arlin of Reed City, Mich., Virgil of York, Rex of York, and William of Waco; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Ruth and Mary Ann, and son, Glenn.
Funeral services will be held at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Stanwood, Iowa, on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 10:30 a.m., with the Rev. William Riley officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Chapman Funeral Home in Clarence. Burial was in the Dayton Valley Cemetery in Clarence.
