Irene Mueller, 93, of North Platte, passed away Jan. 6, 2017, surrounded by her family.

Irene was born on Sept. 28, 1923, to John and Amelia (Sieb) Abel in Bayard. She attended Mitchell High School.

Irene worked as a receptionist for a several doctors in Scottsbluff for many years.

She was united in marriage to Loren Mueller and had two children, Steven and Jaci. She was a wonderful mother and got great joy from being with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She had always enjoyed gardening and was an outstanding bridge player.

Irene will be lovingly remembered by her friends and family as an incredibly generous, kind, thoughtful and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

The world is a better place for having had her as a part of it.

She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Amelia; husband, Loren; brothers, Albert, Robert, Leonard; and sister, Catherine Johannes.

Irene is survived by her two children, Steven (Linda) Mueller and Jaci Hill; grandchildren, Lee (Kasey) Mueller, Lindsey (Heath) Denisse, Laura (Chris) Shearer and Ryan Kretschmar; great-grandchildren, Addyson Mueller, Colin and Nolan Shearer, Austin and Riley and Ellie Denisse; sister, Lenore (Bill) Henderson; brothers, John (Lorraine) Abel and Harold (Pat) Abel; and sisters-in-law, Francis Abel and Charlene (Glenn) Spear.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful employees of Linden Estates, the attentive and caring staff of Great Plains Health Center and the kind, thoughtful staff of Linden Court.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be made to Faith Lutheran Church in Gering, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in North Platte or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be shared at dugankramer.com.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Dugan Kramer Funeral Chapel in Scottsbluff, with Pastor Richard Neugebauer of Faith Lutheran Church in Gering officiating. Inurnment will follow at Sunset Memorial Park. Dugan-Kramer Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Lucille E. Madsen, 95, of North Platte, formerly of Curtis, died Jan. 9, 2017, at Linden Court.

She was born on Aug. 24, 1921, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the daughter of William and Margaret (Klaus) Rollin.

Lucille worked at F.W. Woolworth and Wisconsin Public Service prior to her marriage to Herman Madsen on Oct. 4, 1952, in Green Bay.

Lucille went from being a big city girl to a busy ranch wife who tended to the chickens and cattle. She spent 42 years on the family ranch south of Maxwell until the death of her husband in 1995, at which time she moved to Curtis. She fed many meals to the ranch hands that helped on the ranch.

Lucille was a 4-H leader and member of Home Extension and Farm Bureau. She served on the Curtis Community Center Board and was a member of the Catholic church. She was a loyal Green Bay Packers fan and enjoyed tending to her cats. Herman and Lucille had no children of their own but took a special interest in Herman’s sister Maria’s children.

Lucille was preceded in death by her husband, Herman Madsen; sister, Helen Rollin; father, William Rollin; mother, Margaret Rollin; brother, William Rollin, Jr.; and in-laws, Alfred and Maria Gosnell.

Survivors include three nieces, Rojean (Darrell) Einspahr of North Platte, Mary Jo (David) Wong of Eloy, Arizona, and Kristine Rollin of Green Bay; three nephews, Gordon Gosnell of Maxwell, Alton (Marsha) Gosnell of North Platte and Richard (Sharon) Rollin of Elizabeth Town, Kentucky; and other extended family and friends.

Memorials are suggested to the Curtis library or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be shared at blasestrauser.com.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, at St. James Catholic Church, 313 E. Sixth, Curtis, with the Revs. Harlan Waskowiak and Mark Seiker officiating. Burial will follow at the Curtis Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon to 6 p.m., with the family present from 1-3 p.m., on Sunday, Jan. 15, at Blase-Wetzel-Strauser Memorial Chapel, Curtis, which is in charge of arrangements.

K. F. Kaleuati passed away on January 6, 2017, at the age of 68 years. He is a retired member of the Nebraska-Kansas Great Plains United Methodist Conference where he served churches for 35 years.

He is survived by his wife Sandra Jean of 45 years, two daughters—Margaret Anne Kaleuati,her husband Matt Karaffa and son Frankie, Karen Michelle Kaleuati and her special friend Adam Taghavi; two brothers—Roger Joseph, Jr. and wife Linda of Macungie, Pennsylvania, and William (Billy) Joseph of Center Valley, Pennsylvania; and numerous nephews and nieces.

Memorial donations are suggested to donor’s choice, online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Condolences may be sent to the family at:  3911 W Redwood, North Platte, NE 69101.

Funeral Service will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, January 14, 2017 at First United Methodist Church, McDonald and West E with the Reverend Dr. Doug Delp officiating. Lunch will be at the Fellowship Hall following the service; all are invited.   Those wishing to sign the register book may do so 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.

Jacqueline Ora Williams-Wilson, age 65, of North Platte, NE, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Great Plains Health.

Jacque was born November 20, 1951, to Walter Lee and Josephine Eleanor Deal Williams in North Platte. When she was 5, the family moved to Sidney, NE. Jacque graduated from Sidney High School in 1968. She married Kenneth Fries and continued to live in Sidney and later divorced.

In 2000 Jacque married Larry Wilson in North Platte where they made their home and later divorced. Jacque had worked as a waitress and in health care, and enjoyed what she did. She was past member of the Moose and Eagle’s Auxiliaries and was an avid pool player. She also liked to bake. Jacque loved spending time with her family, especially her grandkids and great-grandkids.

She leaves behind her children, Nicole Johnston, Frankie Fries and Richard (Angie) Fries, brothers, Eugene (Tammy) Pursley and Steve (Bonnie) Pursley, all of North Platte; eight grandchildren, Chauntel Fries, Tiffany Fries, William Butrick, Telsa Fries, Sidney Fries, Sadie Fries, Rocky Fries and Ashton Fries; four great-grandchildren, Kaydan Fries, Brycen Fries, Mason Fries and Lawkryn Merrifield; and good friend, Kenneth Alderman, of North Platte; as well as several nieces, nephews and other family.

Jacque was preceded in death by her father, Walter Williams; mother and stepfather, Josephine and George Pursley; and brothers, Ernest, Sr. and LeRoy Williams.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2017, at the Victory Church of God with Pastor Dean Bailey officiating. Inurnment will follow in the Riverside Cemetery, north of Hershey. Condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

Letha O. ‘Lee’ Brown, age 90, of North Platte, NE, passed away Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Great Plains Health.

Lee was born January 16, 1926, to Andrew L. and Emma M. McMullen Andersen on the farm in Gage County, NE, where she grew up. Lee graduated from Broken Bow High School in 1942 then worked for the Arrow Hotel in town.

On April 28, 1945, Lee was united in marriage to Wayne William Brown and they lived in San Francisco, CA, for a short time. They eventually moved to North Platte where Lee worked for Montgomery Wards and Allen’s Self Service before going to work as a receptionist for Dr. Miller until she retired.

Lee was a member of the First Christian Church. She was a kind and caring person who enjoyed helping others. She was a volunteer with R.S.V.P. and helped start the Thrift Connection. Lee also liked to knit, sew and make ceramics and enjoyed playing bridge.

She is survived by her children, Karen Richardson, of North Platte and Connie (Jon) Cole, of Lincoln, NE; daughter-in-law, Judy Brown, of Greeley, CO; seven grandchildren, Diana (Kurt) Fleer, Mark (Lynda) Richardson, Jack (Thea) Cole, Jennie Cole-Mossman, Brenda (Travis) Pittman, Sarah Brown and Brandon (Jessica) Brown; 11 great-grandchildren; as well as several nieces, nephews and other family.

Lee was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, Sr., and their son, Wayne, Jr. ‘Bill’; her parents, Andrew and Emma Andersen; infant sister, Oma, and sisters, Verna Raymond, Opal Markle and Lois Doggett; and two brothers, Curtis and Alfred Andersen.

Graveside Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, in Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens with Pastor Jan Ekstedt officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.with family greeting friends from 5-7 p.m. 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 Thrift Connection or First Christian Church.

Thomas Dean Brunz, 64, of Sutherland passed away Thursday January 5, 2017 at Great Plains Health surrounded by his family, following a brief illness.  Tom was born October 16, 1952 in Scottsbluff, NE to William H and Naomi G (Harmon) Brunz, the youngest of three boys.  He grew up in Milford, NE and moved with his family to Millard, NE during his junior year of high school and graduated from Millard High in 1971.  He returned to Milford to attend the technical college, studying Electronic Technology, graduating in December 1972.

He went to work for Nebraska Public Power District on January 1, 1973 and just completed 44 years of service.  He began at the Sheldon Station in Hallam, NE as a Station Operator and transferred to Cooper Nuclear as an I & C Technician in May of 1973.  In December 1976 he made the permanent move to the Gerald Gentleman Station at Sutherland where he held various positions including I & C Supervisor, Operations Manager and most recently, Production Consultant.

Tom married Patricia Savery in Crete, NE on September 15, 1973.  Just prior to his illness, they celebrated their 43^rd anniversary.  Together they had two sons, Jason Thomas and Eric Michael.  He was the proud “Papa” to granddaughter Bentley Sue and grandson Kyler Thomas.

Tom was active in youth activities in Sutherland for many years.  He was a founding member of the Sutherland Youth Program serving as its first president as well as serving on the Tri-County Youth board.  During those years he coached baseball and youth basketball.  He served two terms on the Sutherland School Board and was very interested in implementing technology in the school system.  Most importantly, as an avid hunter himself, he cared about the safety of young hunters and taught Hunter Safety to hundreds of Sutherland youth.  In 2010, he received an award from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for 30 years as a volunteer instructor.

He enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing with his family.  His favorite place to be was sitting in a duck blind on the river with his black lab Maggie.

Tom was preceded in death by his grandparents; his wife’s parents, Norm and Janet Savery; several aunts, uncles and cousins.  He will be missed by his wife, Patti; his parents, Bill and Naomi Brunz; his sons, Jason (Lisa) Brunz and Eric (Cathy) Brunz; and grandchildren, Bentley Sue and Kyler Thomas.  He is also survived by his brothers, Bill (Cindy) Brunz and Bob (Linda) Brunz; sister-in-law, Sue (John) Hall and brother-in-law, Kelly Savery.  Also step-grandchildren, Alicia (Steven) Cabrera, Christopher Sandoval and step-great granddaughter, Nevaeha and many other aunts, uncles, cousins, family and friends.

Memorials are suggested for the Sutherland Youth Program and the Sutherland Schools Foundation.  Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com.  Cremation was chosen.  Those wishing to sign the memorial book may do so from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday at the Carpenter Memorial Chapel.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Sutherland. Inurnment will be at the Riverview Cemetery at Sutherland.

Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in care of arrangements.

Elsie Bernice (Frisch) Fisher, 82 of North Platte, formerly of Scottsbluff, passed away January 6, 2017 at home.

She was born on February 19, 1934 in Lynch, Nebraska to August and Nellie (Cook) Frisch.  In 1938 she moved to Scottsbluff, Nebraska with her family.  In 2007 she moved to North Platte.

Elsie attended schools at Lake Alice, Victory Hill and Liberty High School.   She attended and graduated LPN training from The University of Nebraska Omaha.   She had several jobs in healthcare in the Scottsbluff area including Regional West Medical Center, GraMar Nursing Home in Scottsbluff, NE and Mitchell Care Center in Mitchell, NE.

Elsie was a member of Parkview Community Church of the Nazarene in North Platte.  She volunteered weekly at the Church by folding the bulletins.  She was also a volunteer with the RSPV program and an Adopted Grandparent at Cody School until she became ill.

In 1950 she married Calvin Warren Fisher. To this union 5 children were born.  Calvin passed away in 1988.   In 1990 she married Roy Lawrence Straetker.  Roy passed away in 2013.

Elsie was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands; brothers, Gail and Archie Frisch; sister, Irene and husband Al McFarlane; grandson, Josh Baker, great granddaughter, Adaira Stoll and several sister & brother in laws.

Elsie is survived by sisters, Dorothy (Hal) Harriger of Mitchell, NE, Donna Hurley of Rapid City, SD; sister-in-laws, Verna Monk of Yutan, NE, Betty Frisch of Broadwater, NE; daughters, Ellen (Bill) Stoll of Scottsbluff, NE, Glenda (Larry) Covey of North Platte, NE,  Marsha (Larry) Satur of Gillette, WY; sons, Rick (Jackie) Fisher of Scottsbluff, NE, Greg (Theresa) Fisher of Colorado Springs, CO;  Grandchildren, Nicki, Dan, Travis, Gwen, Lana, Justin, Jaime, Teyona, Kyra, Jason; Step grandchildren, Carrie, Mike, Tina; 25 great grandchildren and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be given to the family and they will be distributed to The Callahan Cancer Center, Great Plains Hospice and Parkview Community Church of The Nazarene in North Platte, NE. Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com.

Visitation will be at Carpenter Memorial Chapel on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, January 9, 2017 at Parkview Community Church of the Nazarene with the Reverends Jack Atteberry and Richard Karr officiating.  Burial will be at 3:00 p.m. at the Sunset Memorial Cemetery at Scottsbluff, NE.  Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in care of arrangements.

Joseph Sheldon Mecomber, age 62 of North Platte, passed away Friday January 6, 2017 at Park Place Nursing Home in Grand Island.

Joe was born on December 7, 1954 in North Platte to James E. and Jeane E. (O’Rourke) Mecomber.  He graduated from North Platte High School in 1973 and attended college at NP Junior College and then Kearney State College.  He married Jane C. Pinkerton on December 19, 1977.  The couple lived in North Platte where Joe worked for the State of Nebraska Roads Department for 20 years.  He then worked at Cabelas as a product specialist for 10 years.  He was a soldier in the National Guard, receiving the Outstanding Soldier award.  At age 17 he was pinned between a truck and a house and lived to tell about it!  He loved the mountain man lifestyle, was Santa Claus at holiday gatherings since he was college age, and he enjoyed his cats through the years.  His family was the center of his life and he was very proud of them and would do anything for them.  He was always willing to help anyone and everyone.

Joe is survived by his wife Jane of North Platte; daughter Jana (Sam) Sickler of Kearney; mother Jeane (Dale) Cook of North Platte; siblings Judy (Randy) Nichelson of North Platte, John (Krystal) Mecomber of Hastings, Jeff (LeAnn) Mecomber of Pueblo, CO, Jacquie (Bryan) Yenni of North Platte; Janet (Mike) Gaudreault of Lincoln; brother-in-law Dwight (Norma) Pinkerton of North Platte; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his father James E. Mecomber; and grandparents Mary O’Rourke Firebaugh, and Henrietta and Sheldon Mecomber.

Memorials are suggested to the Salvation Army or St. Jude Children’s Hospital and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.  Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday January 11, 2017 at Harvest Christian Fellowship church with Pastor Job Vigil officiating.  Burial will follow at Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens.  Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Monday January 9^th and Tuesday January 10^th, with family receiving friends Tuesday from 6:00 until 8:00 at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.

Daniel Eugene Lindsay “Pappy”, age 62, of North Platte, NE, died Monday, December 12, 2016, at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, NE.

Dan was born December 5, 1954, to John Edward and Opal Narice Mooney Lindsay at Boise, ID. He grew up in Montana and Stapleton, NE, graduating from Stapleton High School in 1974. Dan then joined the U.S. Navy and served until 1976 when he was discharged with a disability. He then moved to North Platte where he was employed by the City of North Platte Parks Department. Dan later worked for Pappa’s Standard Station and Huebner’s Nursery before enrolling at Mid-Plains Community College Vo-Tech in the ’80’s.

Dan was married to Michelle Rother in 1986 and they later divorced. In 2010 Dan was united in marriage to Brenda K. Ruhaak.

He was a member of the V.F.W. Post #1504 and the American Veteran’s Motorcycle Club (A.V.M.C.) where he also served as National Treasurer. He enjoyed camping and fishing and loved bowling; he had bowled on a league for many years. Dan especially loved his grandkids as well as his dogs and cats.

He is survived by his wife, Brenda; daughter, Jennifer Jackson; and sister, Mary (Tim) Axthelm, all of North Platte; son, Cameron (Kaci) Lindsay, of North Platte, and his mother, Michelle Rother-Lindsay, of Grand Island, NE; five grandchildren, Kohltyn, Hunter, Ethan, Jacksyn and Jamisyn; two nephews, Jason (Sharon) Axthelm and Brad (Sarah) Axthelm; in-laws, Willard Ruhaak, of North Platte, Bev Ruhaak, of New Castle, WY, and Bryce and Betty Rother, of Grand Island; as well as other family and his A.V.M.C. brothers.

Dan was preceded in death by his parents, John and Opal; and niece, Donnie Farr.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 1 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore. Inurnment with military honors will follow in Fort McPherson National Cemetery. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, January 12, 2017, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore which is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the Wounded Warriors Project or the Disabled American Veterans (D.A.V.).