Sheila M. Panek, 65, of North Platte passed away March 27, 2017 at the North Platte Care Center. Cremation was chosen. Memorials are suggested in her name and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Memorial Services will be 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 31 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home with the Reverend Josh Brown officiating. Inurnment will follow at Riverside Cemetery near Hershey. Adams & Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Author: Post Staff
Elsie Anna Shanks
Elsie Anna Shanks, age 92, of North Platte, NE, passed away surrounded by her family on March 27, 2017, at Great Plains Health.
Elsie was born October 6, 1924, to Peter W. and Anna Wulff Mohr on a farm near St. Libory, NE. On August 26, 1925, Elsie was baptized at Messiah Lutheran Church in Grand Island. In 1938 she became a confirmed member of Trinity Lutheran in Grand Island, with Revelation 2:10 “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life” her confirmation verse.
Elsie attended school in Grand Island at Trinity Lutheran, Walnut Jr. High and graduated from Grand Island High School in 1942. After graduating, Elsie was employed as a service assistant at Northwestern Bell Telephone Company.
On November 30, 1947, Elsie was united in marriage to Benjamin Curtiss “Benny” Shanks, Jr. at Grand Island. To this union five daughters, Patricia Lynn, Janet Frances, Nancy Ann, Mary Helen and Linda Diane, were born. The couple first resided in Grand Island where they worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company and then moved to North Platte following Benny’s transfer. Here they raised their family and were members of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Elsie and Benny were together for 58 years when he passed away in 2006.
Elsie was a very nurturing person who loved to cook and bake. Baking cinnamon rolls and her many breads were frequent requests of family and friends. She was proud of her children and their families and she also helped raise her 11 nieces and nephews. Elsie had a compassionate nature and a talent for doing good things for others but also enjoyed the solitude of reading and solving word puzzles.
She was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and Telephone Pioneers of America. Elsie was a kind, loving woman who found her faith, family and her church most important to her. She lived life by her favorite quote from Albert Einstein, “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”
Elsie leaves behind her daughters, Patricia (Rick) Malinowski, of Littleton, CO, Nancy (Doyce) Williams, of North Platte, Mary Cladinos (Edgar Galloway), of Raleigh, NC, and Linda Shanks (Wayne Meacham), of Aurora, CO; five grandchildren, Daimon (Nadine) Cladinos, Janelle Banks, Wyatt (Liz) Williams, Dustin Williams and Jon Galus; 11 great-grandchildren; a great great-grandson; brother, Edward (Carol) Mohr, of Lincoln, NE; sister, Helen (Ashley) Grandy, of Tucson, AZ; as well as many nieces, nephews and other family.
Along with her husband, Benny, Elsie was preceded in death by their infant daughter, Janet; her parents, Peter and Anna Mohr; brother and sister-in-law, Ernest and Mary Ann Mohr; and her sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Calvin Engquist.
Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 31, 2017, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with Pastor Robert Wiest officiating. Burial will follow in Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens where she will await the glorious day of resurrection of all the dead.
Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday 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 Our Redeemer Lutheran Church or the North Platte Animal Shelter.
Evelyn H. (Heinzle) Anderson
Evelyn H. (Heinzle) Anderson, age 96, of North Platte, died March 27, 2017 at Linden Court. Evelyn was born on June 4, 1920 in Hershey, NE to Jonas and Bertha (Nation) Swedberg.
Evelyn graduated from O’Fallons High School May 19, 1937. On October 31, 1939 in Grand Island, Ne she married Willard “Bill” “Shorty” Heinzle. The couple lived in North Platte where Evelyn played for the North Platte traveling softball team. Willard preceded her in death in 1967.
On February 14, 1970 she married Donald Anderson in North Platte. Together they built the Knights Inn Hotel and owned and operated it until 1979.
Evelyn was a member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. She enjoyed yard work and gardening. She loved her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include a daughter, Ronda (Roger) Stewart of Dunning; grandchildren, Steven (Brenda) Heinzle of North Platte, Troy (Kessy) Heinzle of Curtis, Heather (Joey) Pucket of North Platte, Camille Phelps of Omaha, Melanie (Kirk) Clark of Brewster, Chad (Tina) Stewart of Maywood, and Chelsey (Tom) Deaver of Hayes Center, and Julie Rom, and Jerry Townley both of Fort Collins, CO; 19 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Luree Swedberg of Kansas; and numerous other family members and many friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; both husbands; son, Rodney Henizle; 7 brothers, Elmer Swedberg, Herman Swedberg, Jonas “LeRoy” Swedberg, Rueben Swedberg, Melvin Swedberg, Ernest Swedberg, and Donald Swedberg; and 3 sisters, Helen Wilson, Dorothy Tabke, and Darlene Anderson.
Memorials are suggested to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Services will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 30, 2017 at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church with the Reverend Bob Deardoff officiating. Burial will follow at Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Wednesday March 29, 2017 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.
Sarpy County officials consider switching control of jail
PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Sarpy County officials are planning to switch control of the jail from the sheriff’s office to a civilian corrections staff and director.
Past talks about the transition have been revived now that county officials are weighing costly jail expansion options. Deputies currently manage the 148-bed Papillion facility.
The jail has frequently exceeded capacity since the 1990s. The county has paid other jails to house its inmates, but has struggled recently to find space nearby.
Options include doing nothing, expanding the current jail or building a new one.
County Deputy Administrator Scott Bovick says all options require increased staffing, so the transition should begin now.
County Board member Brian Zuger says the staff change would save the county money without negatively impacting public safety.
Nebraska man gets 6 years for beating up, choking girlfriend
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A Fremont man has been given six years in prison for beating up and choking his girlfriend.
Jacob Booze was sentenced Monday in Dodge County District Court. Booze had pleaded no contest to felony strangulation and false imprisonment. Authorities say he choked and suffocated the woman early in the morning of Nov. 1, after she returned home from a night out with a friend. Authorities say he stomped on her face, menaced her with a shower curtain bar and threatened to kill her.
She was treated later at a hospital for facial fractures.
Police officer died in northeast Nebraska crash, patrol says
WALTHILL, Neb. (AP) — A police sergeant has been killed in a northeast Nebraska highway crash.
The Nebraska State Patrol says Sgt. Curtis Blackbird was responding to a call Sunday morning in Walthill when he ran into a construction crane. The patrol says the crane was obscured by thick fog in a work zone on Nebraska Highway 94.
The 59-year-old Blackbird was an officer for the Omaha Tribe Law Enforcement.
Walthill sits about 67 miles (108 kilometers) north-northwest of Omaha.
NP man pleads not guilty in another child abuse case
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte man accused of child abuse in 2009 has pleaded not guilty to child abuse in a new case.
Online court records say James Coleman Jr. entered the plea Monday. He faces four counts of felony intentional child abuse.
The new case began June 4, when hospital doctors told police about several fractured ribs and a skull fracture they found on Coleman’s 2-month-old baby. Police later learned that another of Coleman’s children had been taken to the emergency room or a family doctor numerous times as an infant, which had then concerned the physicians.
Court records say Coleman was charged with intentional child abuse causing injury in 2009. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault and was given 12 months’ probation.
North Platte Weather-March 28
TodayRain likely. Areas of fog between 7am and noon. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 51. East wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tonight
Rain. Low around 39. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Wednesday
Rain likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 48. North northeast wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night
A slight chance of rain before 4am, then a slight chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. North northeast wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 10am, then a slight chance of rain between 10am and 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 34.
Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 57.
Friday Night
A chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Saturday
Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54.
Saturday Night
A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.
Sunday
A chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.
Monday
A chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Maxwell man gets 20-60 years in prison for killing wife
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A man has been given 20 to 60 years in prison for killing his wife on their farm in western Nebraska.
The Nebraska attorney general’s office said 62-year-old Emerson Craig was sentenced Monday in Lincoln County District Court in North Platte. He’d pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the April 26, 2014, slaying of 52-year-old Heidi Craig.
Emerson Craig had called authorities to the farm near Maxwell and said his wife had been crushed under a hay bale, which he said he had moved using a truck. Officials say autopsy results showed she had actually died of blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation.
Investigators say Craig had obtained a life insurance policy on his wife that would pay double if her death were a result of an accident.
Nebraska ends ban on religious garb in public schools
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Public school teachers in Nebraska will soon be able to wear habits, hijabs and other religious clothing in their classrooms under a new state law.
Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a measure Monday that ends the state’s 98-year-old ban. The ban was enacted under pressure from the Ku Klux Klan during a time of intense anti-Catholic sentiment. Thirty-six other states had similar bans, but all had been repealed except for those in Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer of Norfolk introduced the measure after a nun in his district was rejected for a substitute teaching job because her faith calls on her to wear a habit.
Some lawmakers opposed the measure, saying all displays of religion are inappropriate in public school classrooms.
Schools can still establish dress codes.