Frances Lillian Steele passed away with her family at her bedside on Monday, June 12, 2017, at the age of 97.
Frances was born January 9, 1920, to Francis Barney and Silva (Benson) Tripp in Superior, NE. She grew up in Nelson, NE, and graduated from Grand Island High School in 1938. The Tripp family later moved to Grand Island from Wilbur, NE.
On December 2, 1939, Frances was united in marriage to John E. Steele in Grand Island. They made their home in Omaha and Grand Island as John was transferred in his work with the Union Pacific Railroad. They later moved to Sidney, NE, remaining there until 1943 when they moved to North Platte. When John was drafted into the army in ’44, Frances moved back to Grand Island to live with her parents until he returned from the service in March of 1946.
John and Frances spent the rest of their lives in North Platte, living at Lake Maloney for many years. They later moved into an apartment, built especially for them, in the old North Platte Fire House building at 620 North Vine. After John passed away in 2002, Frances remained in the apartment until a few months ago when she moved into Linden Court. She enjoyed the many residents there as well as the staff. She frequently escorted her visitors to the front door as they attempted to keep up with the fast pace of her walker.
Frances had been a member of the Union Pacific Employee Club since 1946, the First United Methodist Church since ’48 and Order of Eastern Star since ’52. She was also active with the North Platte Shrine Auxiliary and Social Order of Beauceant. Frances enjoyed playing cards with her many friends until her eye sight failed.
She is survived by her children, Lawrence Eldon “Larry” (Sue) Steele and Barbara Ann (Dennis) Kohler, of North Platte; daughter-in-law, Janice Steele, of Ellsworth, KS; six grandchildren, Shaun (Kurt) Williams, of Ellsworth, KS, Sherry (Bob) Tuetken, of Omaha, and John Ray Steele, Scott (Melissa) Steele, John Jacob Kohler and Amy Kohler, all of North Platte; 10 great-grandchildren, Tyler (Jessica), Chelsey (Mark), Amber, Whitney, Tawni, Randi, Syndi, Michael (Allison), Kort and Baylee; 10 great great-grandchildren, Caden, Tatum, Paxon, Jacob, Kyle, Ryan, Owyn, Deandray, Kahne and Preston; nieces, Janice Todd and Diane Todd; nephew, Steven (Susan) Todd; and other family.
Along with her husband, John, Frances was preceded in death by their son, Donald; her parents, Francis and Silva Tripp; and sister and brother-in-law, Patty Ann and Leo Todd.
Memorial Service will be 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, 2017, at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Douglas A. Delp officiating. Private family burial will be in Fort McPherson National Cemetery. Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the First United Methodist Church or the North Platte Shrine Transportation Fund.
North Platte – Seven members of the 2017 Region IX Division II champion North Platte Community College Knights softball team were named to the All-Nebraska Two-Year College softball team.
Samantha Gill, catcher, Samantha Foster, pitcher, Shelby Belloni, outfielder, and Sarah Beaton were named to the first team, while Alyiah Franco, Shelly Heredia, and Erin Renwick were named Honorable mention.
The team was named by the Omaha World Herald and includes both Division I and Division II junior colleges in the state of Nebraska.
Lauren Oxford of Western Nebraska Community College was named honorary captain. The complete list can be found at www.omaha.com.
Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D., is the steer wrestling champion at the 2017 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte. The rodeo is part of NebraskalandDays, which continues through June 25. Photo by Don Christner.
North Platte, Neb. (June 17, 2017) – Austin Foss knows he needs to persevere, and on a Saturday night in North Platte, that’s exactly what he did.
The bareback rider, on the last night of competition at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo, turned in the highest score of the week, an 87.5, to win the 2017 title of champion bareback rider.
He gave kudos to Beutler and Son Rodeo’s bronc Pendleton Whisky’s Red Bandana, the horse he rode. “It’s a horse a guy is pretty happy to see his name next to,” the Terrebonne, Ore. man said. “He’s really strong right out of the chute, and he’s just honest. I was really blessed to have him.”
Foss, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, has had last year to let his body heal a bit. He didn’t rodeo hard, choosing to go to only a few, and that was good. “I wanted a year for my body to recoup. There’s guys my age who have had hip surgeries and all kinds of things. I don’t like the knife, so I try to do everything I can to keep myself away from it.”
Foss, who is 25 years old, is ranked eighteenth in the PRCA’s world standings. His check for $2,639 from the Buffalo Bill Rodeo should vault him up a few steps. “I’m climbing,” he said, of the goal to be in the top fifteen in the standings, to qualify for the Wrangler NFR. “Slowly but steady.”
He knows it’s a marathon, not a sprint, to the end of the pro rodeo season, which finishes Sept. 30. “Just keep persevering and keep pushing forward all the way to the end, because you never know, anything could happen,” he said.
It was déjà vu all over again for a Kansas cowboy.
For the second time, Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan., claimed the title of tie-down roping average winner at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.
He won the title in 2012 and did it again this year with his time of 19.7 seconds on two head.
The cowboy, who is 27 years old, is having the best year of his pro rodeo career. He’s ranked twelfth in the PRCA’s world standings.
The biggest difference for him this year, he says, is horsepower. He rode his own horse for his first run in North Platte, but has ridden his traveling partner Ace Slone’s horse, Ripple, for most of the year and for his second run in North Platte, 8.4 seconds, which won him first place in the second round.
A good horse makes all the difference, Quaney said, and Ripple is good. The twelve-year-old sorrel “can really run and has pretty good timing.” Ripple is owned by the Justin Martin family from Evanston, Wyo.; Slone leases the horse. “It all starts with the horse,” Quaney said. “You have to be on the right horse to give yourself a chance.” And if the calf isn’t a good one, “the horse can make the majority of the calves in the pen better than they are.”
Quaney sat out about half of last year, after an ankle injury caused from a pickup game of basketball. He never went to the doctor to see if it was broken. “I probably should have (visited the doctor), looking back, but I did not.” He tried to rodeo with the injury, but it wasn’t 100 percenT. It may not be back to 100 percent now, “but I don’t notice it.”
He realizes that there are so many factors in rodeo that can dictate success, but he’s prepared to handle them. “It’s a roller coaster, and it’s going to be good, and it’s going to be bad, and you can’t worry about the bad.”
In the bull riding, Sulphur, Oklahoma’s Trevor Kastner topped the boards with an 87 point ride to win the 2017 title. The 29 year old cowboy rode the Beutler and Son Rodeo bull No. 124 for the win.
It’s a bit slower year than normal for the three-time Wrangler National Finals qualifier. He broke ribs at the Extreme Bulls competition in Rapid City in January, and took off a few weeks for them to heal. Then, while riding a colt on his Oklahoma ranch, he tore a meniscus. Surgery was March 1, where the doctor removed the meniscus, and he was out a few more weeks.
After ten years in the PRCA, he’s rodeoing smarter this year, taking fewer long trips to rodeos and flying less, “trying to be more efficient,” he said. He has qualified for the Prairie Circuit Finals, the regional championship rodeo for Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, three times.
The 2017 Trail Boss Award was awarded to Dr. Lawrence Schufeldt. Schufeldt, a chiropractor, has volunteered his expertise at the rodeo since the early 1990s, helping cowboy and cowgirl contestants stay in good physical shape, so they can compete. Schufeldt grew up on the family ranch south of Whitman; he is married to Jeannie and they have three grown daughters.
Other 2017 champions include steer wrestler Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D.(8.8 seconds on 2 head), saddle bronc rider Hardy Braden, Welch, Okla. (86.5 points), team ropers Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla. and Billie Jack Saebens, Nowata, Okla. (4.8 seconds), and barrel racer Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas (17.17 seconds).
More NEBRASKAland Days activities take place from now until June 25. The U.S. Cellular Summer Jam Concert Series is Fri., June 23 with Alan Jackson and special guest Dwight Yoakam. The Sat., June 24 concert is Chris Stapleton, with special guest Brothers Osborne. For more information, visit www.NebraskaLandDays.com.
Results, North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo 2017
Bareback riding – 2017 champion: Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore.
1. Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore. 86.5 points on Pendleton Whisky’s Red Bandanna; 2. David Peebles, Redmond, Ore., 85.5; 3. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 84; 4. Orin Larsen, Ingles, Manitoba 83.5; 5. Bill Tutor, Huntsville, Texas 82.5; 6. Trey Moore III, Anniston, Alberta 82; 7. (tie) Evan Jayne, Marseille, France and Grant Denny, Minden, Nev. 81.5 each.
Steer wrestling – 2017 champion: Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D.
1st go-round
1. (tie) Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. and Ryan Swayze, Freedom, Okla. 4.0 seconds each; 3. John Franzen, Riverton, Wyo. 4.1; 4. (tie) Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis. and Jake Johnson, Mound City, Kan. 4.3 each; 6. (tie) Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., Mitchell Gardner, Dover, Okla. and Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas 4.4 each.
2nd go-round
1. Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D. 4.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D., Blair Jones, Colby, Kan. and Tom Lewis, Lehi, Utah 4.1 each; 5. Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan. 4.3; 6. Cole Edge, Durant, Okla. 4.5.
Average
1. Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D. 8.8 seconds on 2 head; 2. Nick Guy, Sparta, Wisc. 9.0; 3. John Franzen, Riverton, Wyo. 9.1; 4. (tie) Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla. and Tom Lewis, Lehi, Utah 9.3 each; 6. (tie) Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. and Kyle Whitaker, 9.5 each.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 46-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
Christopher Rueter was sentenced Friday to four years and nine months.
Rueter had pleaded guilty. He was ordered Friday to pay $1,000 restitution to the victim and spend five years on supervised release.
Lincoln police searched his apartment Aug. 16 as part of an investigation into computers sharing child pornography files on the internet. Rueter admitting to using file-sharing software to download files.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are investigating a shooting overnight that left one man dead.
Police say the shooting happened in northeast Omaha around 12:55 a.m. Saturday. Officers who arrived found 44-year-old Virjillo Gurrero-Quiros with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
No arrests had been reported by late Saturday afternoon, and police say the investigation into Gurrero-Quiros’ death continues.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Businesses, museums and other attractions are clamoring to get into a state program that promotes tourism throughout Nebraska.
The Nebraska Passport program has become so popular with the public that many of the 80 participating sites are seeing a surge in business as hundreds of new visitors arrive at their doors.
Nebraska tourism officials expect 40,000 people to request a passport booklet or download the app this year. The passport program lists stops throughout the state where visitors can get stamps, which they can use to collect prizes.
Nebraska Tourism Commission officials say they received 187 applications from businesses and other sites that wanted a listing.
The program started small. During its first year in 2010, 278 people participated.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four tornadoes have been confirmed in the storms that hit eastern Nebraska on Friday, and thousands of people may remain without power for days.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes caused damage in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue Friday evening before the storm moved into western Iowa. Two other tornadoes were confirmed in northeast Nebraska near Madison and Hoskins.
Residents of areas hit by the storm spent much of the weekend cleaning up debris.
Omaha Public Power District crews continued working to restore power on Sunday, but the utility said power might not be restored to everyone until sometime Wednesday because of the extensive damage.
On Sunday morning, more than 24,000 utility customers lacked power. That’s down from a peak outage of 76,000 after the storms.
PONCA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska storytelling is the subject of an August conference at Ponca State Park in northeast Nebraska.
Registration has opened for “150 years of Nebraska Storytelling: a Conference Celebrating Nebraska History through Literature,” which is scheduled Aug. 6-8. Participants will explore Nebraska history and the art of storytelling through a series of educational experiences, including author presentations.
The conference fee is $85, with meals included. A 20 percent discount will be offered to students and educators commuting to the conference. Students and educators will get a 30 percent discount on park lodging.
Call the park at 402-755-2284 to register, reserve lodging or get more information. A park entry permit is required.
The park sits about a mile north of Ponca in Dixon County.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lightning McQueen and his pals in “Cars 3” raced to the top spot at the box office this weekend, pushing “Wonder Woman” into second place for the first time since it opened.
Studio estimates on Sunday said Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3” opened with $53.5 million — a low for the $1 billion series.
In its third weekend, “Wonder Woman” held strong with $40.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $274.6 million.
In third place, the Tupac biopic “All Eyez on Me” debuted with a notable $27.1 million, while the Mandy Moore shark thriller “47 Meters Down” netted $11.5 million.
The raunchy comedy “Rough Night” got off to a rough start in seventh place. Sony’s R-rated bachelorette party gone wrong pic earned only $8.1 million against a $20 million budget.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Taking pictures of Nebraska farms and ranches could win your child $1,000 in a college fund.
The Nebraska Educational Savings Trust is sponsoring the photo contest. Six winners will each receive $1,000 in a NEST 529 college savings account.
Anyone who wants to enter the contest must submit a photo by the end of June. Details are available online at www.NEST529.com.
The pictures should depict Nebraska’s farm and ranch life. The winners will be drawn from all the photos submitted with two winners in each of the state’s three Congressional districts.
North Platte – Seven members of the 2017 Region IX Division II champion North Platte Community College Knights softball team were named to the All-Nebraska Two-Year College softball team.
