Raymond W. Smith, age 71 of Lemoyne, formerly of North Platte, passed away August 29, 2013 at his home at Lake Mac surrounded by his family.
Ray was born on May 16, 1942 in North Platte to Phillip and Marie (Miller) Smith. He grew up in North Platte and graduated from NPHS in 1960. He married Sharon McKnight and to this union Tory, Trina and Tami were born. He worked construction before going to work for the UPRR in 1968 as a Carman. He also became a General Chairman for TCU. On January 26, 1985 he married Tressie Brake and Marcola and Kjay were joined into the family. He enjoyed shooting pool, hunting, fishing, golfing, boating, card games and playing poker. His family was the center of his life and he believed in everybody and was always forgiving and understanding.
Ray is survived by his wife Tressie; children Tory (Gayla), Trina (Ron), Tami (Wade), Marcola and Kjay; sisters Judy (Fred) and Carol (Woody); sister and brother in law Sami and Ron Testi of Erie, PA; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents Phil and Marie Smith; brother Leroy and sister-in-law Ginny; niece Lisa; grandson Quint; mother and father-in-law Coco and Louie Brake; and sister-in-law Doni and her significant other, Tom.
A memorial has been established in his name and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Christian Wake Service will be 7:00 p.m. Monday September 2, 2013 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday September 3, 2013 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church with Reverend Bryan Ernst officiating. Inurnment will be at the Lemoyne Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be Saturday August 31 through Monday September 2 from noon until 6:00 p.m. at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.
Month: August 2013
Apple Offers iPhone Trade-In Ahead of Unveiling
(AP) — Excited about the new iPhone expected to be unveiled Sept. 10? Apple will now join others in allowing you to trade in your old model.
The company said starting Friday that it would give customers credit for functioning older models at Apple Stores. The credit can be used toward the purchase of a new iPhone, which will be activated in the store.
It didn’t say how much older phones would be worth. But other brokers such as Gazelle.com offer anywhere from $10 for a working iPhone 3G to $350 for an iPhone 5 that is in pristine condition.
Similar trade-in programs are run by retailers including Best Buy, Target and Radio Shack.
Bob Devaney Immortalized in East Stadium Statue
LINCOLN – Two days before Nebraska hosts Wyoming in the season opener for both football teams, Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst announced Thursday that he has commissioned a statue of Hall-of-Fame Football Coach and former Husker Athletic Director Bob Devaney. The statue will be installed in the new East Stadium Plaza which serves as the doorstep to a 52,000 square-foot research facility, 38 new suites, 6,000 new seats and a graphic-rich tribute to Nebraska football tradition inside the historic gate 20 entrance.
The life-sized bronze statue of Devaney, sculpted by Omaha artist Joe Putjenter, will be unveiled Friday at 4 p.m. in a brief ceremony open to the public. Mike Devaney and Rob Devaney, Bob’s respective son and grandson, will attend Friday’s dedication and share their thoughts, along with Eichorst, Tom Osborne, Nebraska’s former head coach and athletic director, and UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman.
“This is Memorial Stadium’s 90th anniversary season, and we wanted to recognize the man who’s widely considered the one who really built this stadium from the 36,000-seat facility it was when he arrived in Lincoln in 1962,” Eichorst said. “With the stadium’s anniversary, the dedication of the expanded East Stadium and the fact that Wyoming and Nebraska were the only two schools that Bob Devaney ever served as head football coach, we thought this was the perfect time to honor his tremendous legacy.”
Having Devaney’s statue in front of what is believed to be the only joint on-campus academic and athletic research facility in intercollegiate athletics is appropriate in another meaningful way. The North entrance to Memorial Stadium’s Athletic Complex features a Tom Osborne/Brook Berringer statue and the stadium’s actual playing surface was recently reintroduced as “Tom Osborne Field” on both the East and the West sidelines.
“Coach Devaney added Coach Osborne to his staff as a graduate assistant the first year he was here and later hand-picked him to be his successor as head coach,” Eichorst said. “Our Athletic Department has gone to great lengths to make the Devaney Center, named in Bob’s honor, a world-class, modern-day facility. But we also wanted something visible to honor Coach Devaney at Memorial Stadium, which has been sold out since the first year he arrived in Lincoln.”
Nebraska had only three winning teams in the 21 seasons before Devaney arrived. His first team went 9-2 and won Nebraska’s first-ever bowl game, 36-34 over Miami. Devaney’s teams won back-to-back national championships in 1970 and ’71 and captured eight conference championships in his 11 years as head coach. His overall 101-20-2 record in 11 years at Nebraska included a 32-game unbeaten streak. Devaney’s 1971 team that beat Alabama, 38-6, in the Orange Bowl, was recently voted by The Sporting News the No. 1 college football team of all time. Devaney coached 14 years at four Michigan high schools before becoming an assistant coach under Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State from 1953 to 1956. He served five years as head coach at Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 with a record of 35-10-5. His career head coaching record at both schools was 136-30-7 for winning percentage of .806. While he was head coach at Nebraska, Memorial Stadium attendance more than doubled to 72,700.
Devaney and Osborne became the third coaching duo to post back-to-back 100-win careers at the same institutions, but the first pair to accomplish that feat in just 22 years. Devaney served as Nebraska’s Athletic Director for 26 years from 1967 to 1993.
Bob Devaney at a Glance
Position: Head Football Coach
Schools: Wyoming, Nebraska
Years: 1957-1972
Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame: 1981
Born: April 13, 1915, Saginaw, Michigan
Died: May 8, 1997, Lincoln, Nebraska
|
NCAA Suspends Nebraska-Kearney Wrestler
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA has punished a University of Nebraska at Kearney wrestler for an incident at the Division II championships in March.
The Division II wrestling committee reprimanded Patrick Martinez and suspended him for eight matches. The university appealed to the appeals subcommittee, which also ruled against Martinez.
The NCAA says Martinez used profane language and had a physical altercation with the opposition’s coach follow the match in Birmingham, Ala.
Nebraska-Kearney athletics department spokesman Peter Yazvak (YAZ’-vak) said Friday that Martinez finished fifth in the tournament, in the 174-pound weight class.
Yazvak says Martinez is a senior who hails from Hemet, (HEH’-muht) Calif. Yazvak says Martinez is expected to practice with the team and be eligible for match or tournament action by mid-January.
The school didn’t immediately issue a statement.
NE Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Medicated Killer

(AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected the arguments of a convicted killer who says he was too heavily medicated on anti-psychotic drugs to be competent to stand trial.
Todd Baker appealed after his request for a hearing on his post-conviction relief motion was denied last year by a Lancaster County District judge. Baker wants a chance to show that his convictions were unconstitutional.
The 50-year-old Baker was convicted in 2006 in the 1996 killing of Anne True after Baker’s ex-wife went to police with information in the case. In 2007, while already serving a life sentence for True’s death, Baker was convicted of killing 15-year-old Missy Schmidt.
Police say Baker randomly attacked both women with a hammer and dumped their bodies in rural ditches.
Theft from Goodwill Nets a Felony Charge for Transient

A local transient is facing a felony charge after she was caught stealing from the Goodwill Store in North Platte.
North Platte Police responded to a reported theft from the store, located at 102 East William, at around 11:24 a.m. on Thursday.
Upon arrival, Officers learned that a female had taken items and left the store without paying for them.
Officers were given a description of the suspect and made contact with Maxine Chavez near the Motel 6.
When contacted by Officers, Chavez was in possession of one of the items taken from Goodwill. They discovered that Chavez had dropped the other item near Wendy’s.
After recovering the other item, Police placed Chavez under arrest and charged her with Theft by Unlawful Taking.
Because Chavez had prior theft convictions, the misdemeanor charge was upgraded to a felony.
Chavez was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Red Cross Offers Labor Day Weekend Safety Tips
Many people view Labor Day as the end of summer and their last chance to travel, hit the beach and fire up the grill. The American Red Cross offers safety tips to help everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
“While many people will spend the Labor Day weekend traveling and spending time with family and friends, no one should take a vacation from safety,” said Tina Labellarte, Region CEO. “It’s still important that people work to remain vigilant on the road, near the water and at cookouts.”
People should follow these safety tips:
Tips for Safe Travel
- · Carry an emergency supply kit in your trunk.
- · Don’t drink and drive.
- Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive.
- Buckle up and observe speed limits.
Tips for Safe Swimming
- Check weather and water conditions beforehand and throughout the day.
- Always swim with a buddy in a designated swimming area supervised by a lifeguard.
- Provide constant supervision to children in or near the water and always stay within arm’s reach of young children and inexperienced swimmers while they are in the water.
- Young children and inexperienced swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
Tips for Safe Grilling
- Keep the grill away from the house, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Keep children and pets away from the grill.
- Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited.
The American Red Cross First Aid App for smart phones and tablets provides users with expert advice on what to do in case of an emergency. This free app is available on the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores and at redcross.org/mobileapps.
For more information on emergency preparedness, go to redcross.org. Additional water safety tips are located at redcross.org/watersafety.
Nearly 30 Nebraska Parks to Close for Several Months
Nebraska Game and Parks commissioners say a tight budget is forcing the temporary closure of nearly 30 parks.
The commissioners said in a news release Friday that the closings will allow the redirection of department staffers to help reduce more than $30 million in deferred maintenance. That also will help the state comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental concerns.
Most of the state recreation areas (SRAs) and historical parks on the list will close Sept. 16 and reopen May 1.
SRAs that will close Sept. 16 and reopen May 1, 2014 are: Blue River, Cheyenne, Conestoga, Cottonwood, Dead Timber, DLD, Keller, Long Lake, Long Pine, North Loup, Olive Creek, Oliver Reservoir, Pelican Point, Riverview Marina, Rock Creek Lake, Sandy Channel, Schramm, Sutherland, Union Pacific, Verdon, Stagecoach, Walgren, and War Axe. Vehicle access to boat ramps will remain open at Riverview, Pelican Point and Sutherland’s Hershey Beach.
NSP Nabs 30 Plus Pounds of Pot During Traffic Stop
(AP) — A traffic stop on Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska has led to the seizure of 30.5 lbs. of marijuana and the arrest of two men from Massachusetts.
The Nebraska State Patrol says a trooper stopped an eastbound car near Milford Thursday afternoon on suspicion of following another vehicle too closely.
The patrol says the trooper searched the car after smelling an odor of marijuana coming from it, and found the drugs in the trunk.
The 42-year-old driver, from Westfield, Mass., and a 31-year-old passenger, from Springfield, Mass., were arrested and jailed in Seward County on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
Nebraska Health Insurance Marketplace Figures Posted
(AP) — The Nebraska Department of Insurance has released proposed premium rates submitted under the federal health care overhaul.
The department says the sample premium rates posted on a state website (https://1.usa.gov/19Sw519) are only a preliminary tool for comparison.
Lower-cost options will be available to Nebraskans, but the figures aren’t shown in the 2013-to-2014 comparison sample
Tom Gilsdorf of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska says the comparisons are not apples-to-apples because coverage that will be sold for 2014 is new and must cover a range of benefits that were not covered in the past.
Starting in October, people who don’t have health insurance will be required by the Affordable Care Act to buy coverage.
