Irene Barnes, of North Platte, NE, died at Centennial Park Retirement Village on Thursday, August 17, 2017, at the age of 99.

Irene was born October 17, 1917, to Carl Fredrick and Kate Irene Slaughter Liljegren at Axtell, NE. She grew up on a farm and attended country school. Irene graduated from Wilcox High School in 1935 then the following day, her grandparents moved her to North Platte.

On August 20, 1938, Irene was united in marriage to Herbert Clayton Barnes in North Platte and to this union four sons, David Dale, John Clayton, Frank Wesley and Fred Allen, were born. Irene was a homemaker and worked as a seamstress most of her life. She was also a caregiver, first to Herb’s mother until she passed away in 1969 then later to Herb after he developed Alzheimer’s. Irene cared for him as long as she could until he too passed away in 2002.

Irene had been a member of the North Platte Berean Church since 1941. She enjoyed reading, crocheting, traveling and camping. Irene especially looked forward to Christmas dinners and having a house full of family.

She is survived by her son, David (Mary) Barnes, of Ogallala, NE; daughter-in-law, Charlotte Barnes, of Fairfield, CA; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews and other family.

Along with her husband, Herb, Irene was preceded in death by their sons, Frank, Fred and John Barnes; daughters-in-law, Mary and Barbara Barnes; her parents, Carl and Kate Liljegren; four brothers, Melvin, Charles, Dale and Richard Liljegren; and sisters, Doris Albin and Maxine Pease.

Funeral Service will be 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at the Berean Church. Burial will follow in the North Platte Cemetery. Visitation will be 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday 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 Marinatha Bible Camp or the Berean Church.

Steve Pueppka, of North Platte, NE, died unexpectedly at his home in August, 2017, at the age of 62.

Steve was born on February 28, 1955, the oldest of three children, to Darrell Eugene and Rosemary (Greenwood) Pueppka in North Platte where he grew up. He graduated from St. Patrick’s Catholic School in ’73 then attended Mid-Plains Community College, graduating with an Associates in Arts Degree in ’75. Steve later attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the Gemological Institute of America where he earned his Gemology Degree.

By 1976 Steve went to work at Hoovers Jewelry. He worked as a sales person, jeweler, store manager and was an authorized Timex watch service person. In 1983 Steve opened his own store, Stephen’s Jewelry, which he operated until 1998. When he closed the store, Steve spent time volunteering for various organizations and enjoyed his time at Great Plains Regional Medical Center and the Callahan Cancer Center. In later years, he was a caregiver for his parents.

Steve enjoyed being a part of the North Platte community. He was a member of the North Platte Rotary Club and served on the Board of Directors for two terms. He was also the recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Foundation.

Steve was a longtime member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Here he served as President of the church Finance Board, was a member and Chancellor of the Knights of Columbus, and was President of the Parish Council. He was also actively involved with the catholic school where he served on the North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment Trust, was President of the St. Patrick’s School Finance Board, and was on the Board of Directors for the Alumni Association.

Steve liked being in positions of responsibility and helping others. He was willing to set goals and strived to achieve them. He had always been interested in cooking, whether it was reading cook books, watching cooking shows, or writing down recipes. Steve especially loved Elvis! No matter what it was, music, movies or memorabilia, he collected it all. And best of all, Steve did get to see Elvis perform live in Omaha.

He is survived by his sister, Sharee Pueppka, of Bellevue, NE, and brother, Larry Pueppka, of North Platte; his uncle, Rod Pueppka, of North Platte; as well as his cousins and other family.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Darrell and Rosemary.

Cremation was chosen. The family will be greeting friends at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore on Thursday, August 24, 2017, from 6 to 7 p.m. then a Memorial Service will follow at 7 p.m. led by Father Josh Brown. Condolences may also be shared at odeanchapel.com. Book signing will be on Thursday from 9 a.m. until service time. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the North Platte Catholic School Endowment Fund. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

Michael Dale Liewer, 62, of North Platte, passed away July 26, 2017, at Elms Nursing Home in Ponca. His brother, Dan, resided there with him until his passing. Every member of his family got to spend quality time with him in his final weeks, and he passed with no pain at about 5 a.m.

Mike was born on May 8, 1955, in Osmond, the son of the late Francis and Elizabeth Liewer. He was the sixth of seven children.

He married Julie Gausman on May 7, 1977. They remained married for 21 years and had five children together.

Mike was an outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing and was also an avid musician his whole life. He worked as an engineer for Union Pacific Railroad until he was 39 years old.

Mike is survived by Julie, 61, of North Platte, along with their five children, Mikaela, 38, of Edwards Colorado, Jareb, 35, of Los Angeles, Andrew, 32, of Edwards, Colorado, Mallory, 27, of North Platte, and Madelyn, 24, of Edwards, Colorado; two grandchildren, Andrew’s son, Ivan, 11, and Mallory’s daughter, Aurora, 20 months; five brothers and one sister in eastern Nebraska; and many loving friends.

A Catholic service was on Aug. 11 at St. Mary’s Church in Osmond. A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20, at Harbor Lights in North Platte.

Katheryn E. Parish, age 87, of North Platte, NE, passed away at Great Plains Health on Monday, August 14, 2017.

Katheryn was born November 27, 1929, to Thomas Benjamin and Gladys Inez Harlan Parrish in North Platte where she grew up. She graduated from North Platte High School in 1947.

On June 6, 1948, Katheryn was united in marriage to Garold Gene Parish in North Platte where they made their home. Katheryn worked out of her home baking and decorating cakes for special occasions, weddings and birthdays for over 20 years. She also taught a cake decorating class at Mid-Plains Community College for many years.

Along with baking, Katheryn liked to do needle work and ceramics and she was an avid reader. Katheryn was a great wife, mother and grandmother and will be greatly missed.

She leaves behind her husband, Garold Parish, of North Platte; children, Patricia Woodcock, of Elm Creek, NE, and Theodore (Mary) Gallman, of Independence, MO; grandchildren, Jason (Sharon) Parish, Sara (Bill) Borges, Brian (Lindsey) Gallman and Tracy (Ryan) Lear; eight great-grandchildren; as well as several nieces, nephews and other family.

Katheryn was preceded in death by her sons, Thomas and Andrew Parish; her parents, Ben and Gladys Parrish; and sisters, Pauline Peterson and Lois Gallman.

Cremation was chosen. Graveside Memorial Service will be 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 2017, in the North Platte Cemetery with the Rev. Dr. Douglas A. Delp officiating. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com. or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore which is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the North Platte Animal Shelter.

Katherine (Frye) Dodson, 31, of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, passed away unexpectedly June 27, 2017, in Poland.

Katherine was born in Huntsville, Alabama, to Carolyn (Smith) and Jan Frye.

Katherine’s father was a career military officer, and Katherine greatly enjoyed being an “Army brat” and moving often, making new friends and seeing new parts of the world. She always looked forward to annual holiday visits to see her now deceased grandparents, Dolan and Pauline Frye, aunts, uncle and cousins in Chester. She moved with her family four times before entering elementary school in Great Britain. She also attended elementary schools in Virginia, Minnesota and Seoul, South Korea. In 2000, her family moved to Woodbridge, Virginia, where she attended Gar-Field High School, graduating with honors in 2004. She then attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating in 2008 with a double major in international studies and conflict resolution, with a minor in Spanish.

In 2007, Katherine and her husband, John, were blessed with the birth of their son, Holden, and in 2011, their daughter, Caroline, was born. Katherine was a wonderful, dedicated and caring mother and wife. She always ensured the children received a good education while enjoying their many outside activities and friends. She worked numerous hours as a volunteer at Fayetteville Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

In 2011, Katherine became a military spouse upon her husband John joining the Army. She settled effortlessly into Army living and truly enjoyed life at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. During John’s two combat tours in Afghanistan and a final unaccompanied tour in Korea, she provided loving care for the children for nearly three years by herself.

Katherine loved riding her bicycle, running, ice skating with Holden and Caroline, and walking her dog, Ranger. Her interests centered on international and political affairs, and she attended university studies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while in college. She served two consecutive summers as an intern in Arizona Senator John McCain’s office and was also selected for an internship with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

She is survived by her loving husband, John; adored children, Holden and Caroline; parents; brother, Andrew (fiancé Blanca); and other family members and friends far and wide who will miss her deeply.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to a GoFundMe.com account under the title Honoring Katherine (Frye) Dodson.

Services will be at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at the University of Nebraska, University Lutheran Chapel, 1510 Q St., Lincoln. Inurnment will be at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.