Barbara Jean Collins Varney, 59, of Arnold, died Dec. 10, 2016, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

Barb was born on Feb. 9, 1957, in Broken Bow to Elmer Leonard and Rosalie Arlene (Christensen) Collins. Barb was the youngest of four children. She grew up in Broken Bow, graduating in 1975. She attended the Lincoln School of Commerce.

After graduation, she returned to Broken Bow and worked for Production Credit Association. Later, Barb attended Universal College of Healing Arts for massage therapy in 2012. She worked at Indulgence Day Spa after graduation. She also attended numerous Jin Shin Jyutsu classes.

On June 26, 1982, she married Thomas “Tiff” Varney IV in Broken Bow. Barb then joined her husband in the funeral home business in Arnold and Mullen. They celebrated 34 years of marriage, and three children were born to this union.

Barb was known for her compassion, heart and will to help anyone she could. Her children, grandchildren, family, friends and four-legged friends were no exception. She enjoyed spending time outside — gardening, canoeing, camping and walking. Books were another favorite pasttime.

Preceding Barb in death were her son, Thomas T. “Moose” Varney V; parents; brother, Stan Collins; and sister-in-law, Roberta Collins.

Survivors include her husband, Tiff “Varmit”; two daughters, Liz (Joe) Franssen of Broken Bow, and Alex Varney of North Platte; grandchildren, Ryan and Tiffany Franssen of Broken Bow; sisters, Eileen (Wayne) Krause of Cabot, Arkansas, Patty (Gary) Knoell of Broken Bow; brother-in-law, Bill (Jane) Varney of Hot Springs, Arkansas; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorials are suggested to the Finch Memorial Library or Custer County Foundation.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, at the Arnold United Methodist Church with Pastor Bill Williams officiating. Burial will be at the Broken Bow Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, at Arnold Funeral Home, which is in charge of arrangements.

Peggy JoAnn Beem, age 75 of North Platte, passed away December 11, 2015 at Great Plains Health. Elmer Henry Beem, age 82 of North Platte, passed away April 24, 2016 at the Golden Living Center in Cozad.

Peggy was born on January 29, 1940 in Hyannis, NE to Harry and Iola (Brown) Miller. She graduated from Hyannis High School with the class of 1958. She was a stay-at-home Mom until she began working at ESU16 where she worked for 30 years. She loved her students and developed lasting relationships with many of them. She was a loving wife and mother and her family was the focus of her life.

Elmer was born on February 28, 1934 in Alliance, NE to Sherman D. and Viola Ella (Crowhurst) Beem. After high school he joined the Navy in March of 1968 and served until October of 1973. The couple lived in Seattle, California, the East Coast, Colorado, and back to California, all while following Elmer in the Navy. After his discharge the couple settled in Sutherland. Elmer worked on the hospital while it was being built, and as a tire salesman before going to work for the Union Pacific Railroad as a machinist.

Peggy and Elmer are survived by their children Michael Beem of North Platte and Joseph (Shawn) Beem of San Clemente, CA; grandson Garrett Beem of San Clemente, CA; and other extended family members. They were preceded in death by their parents; and an infant son Mark Beem.

A joint graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday December 13, 2016 at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery with Pastor Jeremy Rinke officiating. Adams and Swanson Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Lynn E. Phillips, the youngest child of Clarence and Jessica (Brott) Phillips was born in the home of his grandparents Edwin and Margaret Brott in Mullen, NE on August 17, 1933 and departed this life on December 7, 2016 at his home in Mullen. For the first two years he lived in a sod house on his grandparent Phillips’ homestead 30 miles north of Whitman and then the family moved to a ranch 13 miles northeast of Mullen where he grew up. He rode his pony 2 ½ miles to the Virginia school and later graduated from the Mullen High School in 1951. He married Joellen Loudon on March 23, 1951 and except for 6 months in Arkansas, they lived on the home ranch north of Mullen. In 1959 the family moved to Mullen and opened Phillips Tire and Service and provided auto body repair, general auto mechanics, Allis Chalmers farm equipment, and tires. When his father decided to retire in the early 1970s they sold the business and purchased the ranch and cattle and moved back to the country. When his sons married he turned the ranch over to them. At this time, his father-in-law, Roy Loudon, who lived north of Thedford, was in failing health so he helped him and took over the management of the place upon Roy’s death in 1985. When Joellen retired in 1998 they moved to the place in March and back to Mullen in late November and this they have continued to do. Lynn loved the Sandhills and his goal in life was to preserve them. He did everything he could to protect and care for the hills. Lynn liked to travel and he and Joellen, and often their youngest daughter Barbara, visted almost all the states. The highlight of their trips was a 6 week camping trip to Canada and Alaska when they were in their early 70s.
Lynn is survived by Joellen “Jody”, his wife of 65 years; his children, Rosalee Crofutt of Paxton, NE, Lyle (Twila) Phillips and Leonard (Alisa) Phillips both of Mullen, and Joyce (Bob) Hardy and Barbara Olson both of Chadron, NE; as well as 13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by an infant son and daughter; his parents; sister Jacqueline Lange; brother Clarence “Bud” Phillips, Jr.; and two sons-in-law Wayne Crofutt and Larry Olson.
Memorials are suggested to the 1st United Methodist Church in Mullen or Cedarview Cemetery and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. MT Monday December 12, 2016 at First United Methodist Church in Mullen. Burial will follow at the Cedarview Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. MT Sunday December 11, 2016 at First United Methodist Church in Mullen with Family Receiving Friends from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Adams and Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mabel Jane Brooks, 100, of North Platte died December 8, 2016 at Centennial Park Retirement Village.

She was born November 7, 1916 in Chesterfield, Nebraska to Dean Warwick and Merle (King) Wood and grew up in the Cherry County and Mullen area. She Married Lawrence P Brooks June 20, 1941 in Valentine.

They lived in the North Platte, Arnold, Brady and Ogallala areas. She worked for TRW in Ogallala for 15 years. Her family and friends were precious to her.

Mabel loved to sew, crochet, knit and quilt. Mabel loved to make quilts for her grandchildren and family and was always planning her next project. She also loved to paint. Mabel made many friends at Cardiac Rehab. She leaves behind special friends, Viola and Karen. Mabel possessed a strong will, a quick wit and lived on her own until May of 2016. Mabel enjoyed celebrating her 100th birthday in November. She believed the secret to life was hard work and keeping busy. She was very proud of and had a great love for her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchild.

Mabel leaves behind a son, Orrin (Barb) Brooks of North Platte; a daughter, Gloria (Darwin) Grooms of Bassett, Ne; Mabel’s grandchildren are as follows: Gary Brooks, Brenda Hills, Gerald Brooks, Julie Cooper, Loretta Grooms, Jason Brooks, Loni Waddell, and Tyler Brooks; great-grandchildren include, Austin Brooks, Kylin Brooks, Taylor Hills, Cameron Hills, Jessica Brooks Reed, Jess Cooper, Olivia Brooks, Caroline Brooks, Hayden Brooks, Beckham Waddell, Joceyln Waddell, Abby Brooks, Ethan Brooks, Eli Brooks, Avery Brooks and Aspen Brooks; and great-great-grandchild, Madison Reed.

Preceding her in death were her husband; 2 sons, George “Buddy” Brooks and Roger Brooks; and 2 brothers.

Memorials will be donated to a hospice family in need this Holiday season, and donations may be mailed to Loni Waddell 1340 South 162nd Ave. Omaha, NE 68130. Online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.

Services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 17, 2016 with Chaplain Richard Karr officiating at Adam and Swanson Funeral Home. Visitation will be 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. Friday at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.

 

Donald Kent Bandy, age 96 of Stapleton, passed away Saturday December 3, 2016 at Linden Court.

Don was born on October 6, 1920 near Lewellen, NE to Jesse and May (Gray) Bandy.  He attended school in the Rackett area in Garden County.  One of five children, he was raised on a ranch 35 miles north of Oshkosh, growing up fast learning to be a cowboy.  As a teenager they would drive 1800 head of cattle 100 miles through the hills twice a year, a cattle drive that would take about 18 days.  Don began the rodeo circuit at the age of 13 and participated in rodeos in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.  He became a member of the Turtle Cowboy Association in 1941 in Burwell, NE.  The organization later changed their name to the Rodeo Cowboys Association from 1946 to 1975, and then became the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association or PRCA.  He entered the US Army August 1, 1942 and served in Hawaii, then Ft. Robinson in Nebraska where he trained dogs and horses.  He was honorably discharged on January 31, 1946.  After his discharge, he returned to the ranch on the Dismal River from 1946 to 1949, then to the Garden County ranch until 1955.  He continued rodeoing after his discharge, having much success and numerous broken bones and other injuries along the way.  He worked between the family ranch in Nebraska and one they bought in Montana, always taking excellent care of his ailing parents until their deaths.  In 1986 he and his nephew, Bobby Cotton bought property 12 miles east of Stapleton and he spent time working between there and the Gordon ranch in Wyoming.  He enjoyed helping with brandings, haying and lending a hand to neighbors when they needed it.

Don is survived by his sister Jack Cotton of North Platte; nieces and nephews Lois Cotton of Stapleton, Carolyn Anthony of North Platte, Reva (Bill) Coulter of North Platte, Gary Gordon of Newcastle, WY, Bruce Gordon of North Platte, Linda Johnson of Cambridge, NE, and Neville (Mary) Bandy of Oshkosh, NE; as well as numerous other family members and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Richard Bandy and Floyd “Heavy” Bandy; and a sister, Thelma Gordon.

Memorials are suggested to the donor’s choice and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.  Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday December 10, 2016 at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home with Reverend Dynette Oberg and Pastor Frank Scott officiating.  Burial will follow at Antelope Valley Cemetery in Oshkosh, NE.  Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Friday December 9, 2016 at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Melvin Canell, age 77, of North Platte, NE, died Thursday, December 1, 2016, at Great Plains Health.

Mel was born April 10, 1939, to Irving Isaac and Helen Biller Canell in New York City and grew up in Manhattan. On May 3, 1952, he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Mel was a student at the High School of Music and Art and Julliard School of Music in New York where he graduated in 1957 with a scholarship to the University of Iowa.

During his freshman year, Mel met Janice. They were married in 1958 and later blessed with four children, David, Leah, Pamela and Laura. Mel proudly volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1958 because he felt it was his patriotic duty to do so, though as the sole surviving son was not required to serve.

Following his discharge in 1960, the family returned to Iowa so Mel could continue his education. He earned a BA in Speech then went on to receive his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Doctorate in Educational and Counseling Psychology with honors from the University of South Dakota in 1976. Mel worked as a therapist before setting up his private practice in psychology and becoming involved with the foster care program.

In 1979 Mel moved to McCook, NE, for a job opportunity and met the love of his life and sole mate, Jane Neet. They were united in marriage on June 7, 1980, then settled in North Platte where they opened their private practice, Affiliates in Psychology. Mel and Jane became active in their church and continued helping children through the foster parent program.

Mel had a passion to give to others and help them heal. He was an active volunteer with the American Red Cross, assisting those with post-tramautic stress and offered his expertise to countless children, adults, families and veterans. Mel was also a member and officer for the Lincoln County Guardianship Committee, was the Mental Health Supervisor for the American Red Cross, a member of Gideon International where he served as Chaplain for a year, and a member of Platte Valley Lodge #32 AF&AM.

Mel will be greatly missed by his family which includes his wife of 36 years, Jane, of North Platte; children, David (Donna) Canell, of Cedar Falls, IA, Leah Lane and Laura (Michael) Salazar, of Scottsbluff, NE, and Pamela Brunalis, of Colorado Springs, CO; special children, Bo Nesslein, of Omaha, NE, and Adam Canell, Anthony (Misty) Plunk and Michelle (Scotty) Godbey, all of North Platte; seven grandchildren, Rose Canell, Shelby Lane, Kassidy Lane, Keaton Lane, Mikka Salazar, Alexandra Salazar and Savanah Salazar; great-grandson, Ledger Salazar; and papa’s special grandkids, Isaiah, Elijah, D’Avion, Ericka, Cheyenne, Angeleena, Alexandria and Malakai; as well as other family including his great-niece and nephew, Amy and Tanner Schulkey.

Mel was preceded in death by his parents, Irving and Helen; son-in-law, Dustin Lane, great-nephew, Brandon Schulkey; and brother-in-law, Steven Neet.

Funeral Service will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 6, 2016, at Messiah Lutheran Church with Pastor Tim Eighmy officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in Fort McPherson National Cemetery.

Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday with family greeting friends from 5 to 7 p.m. followed by Masonic Rites at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to Messiah Lutheran Church or the Red Cross Disaster Relief. Condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.

Robert Eugene Brown, age 86, of Blair, NE, formerly of North Platte, NE, passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2016, at the Crowell Nursing Home in Blair.

Bob was born January 5, 1930, to Hiram Wesley and Myrtle Virginia Cox Brown at Maywood, NE, where he grew up. He graduated from Maywood High School in 1948 then joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in California.

Following his discharge, Bob was united in marriage to Margaret Jenice Parker on August 24, 1954, in Los Gatos, CA. The couple later moved to North Platte where Bob worked a variety of jobs before going to work for Cohagen Transfer and Storage. He retired from Cohagen’s in 1995 then worked at Walmart for the next nine years before completely retiring in 2004.

Bob was a member of the First Assembly of God Church. He liked solving word puzzles and woodworking, and was an avid Husker fan. Bob also enjoyed life, making jokes and visiting with others. He was a kind man who made friends easily.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret, of Blair; daughters, Natalie (Eugene) Trujillo, of Bellevue, NE, and Kathleen (Doug) DeWitt, of Fort Calhoun, NE; son, Scott Crandall, of York, PA; six grandchildren, Gene, Jr. Trujillo, Jeremy Trujillo; Jessica Trujillo, Alexandera “Alli” DeWitt, Michelle DeWitt and Ciera Crandall; four great-grandchildren, Drake Butcher, Lotus and Reina Trujillo and Ray Ann Trujillo; three sisters, Mary Jane (Lynn) Everett Schultz, of North Platte, Virginia (Melvin) Campbell, of Stratton, NE, and Joyce Barlow, of Liberal, KS; as well as other family.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Hiram and Myrtle; brothers, Herbert, Silas and Richard Brown; sister, Dixie Turner; and brother-in-law, Glenn Barlow.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 10 a.m. Monday, December 5, 2016, at First Assembly of God Church with Pastor Gary Goodwin officiating. 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 5 p.m. Saturday at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements. Memorials are suggested to the First Assembly of God Church.

Linda Joy Cooper, 66, of North Platte, passed away Nov. 29, 2016 at Great Plains Health. She was born July 21, 1950 to Millard and Goldien (Mueller) Cain at Mitchell, SD. Linda grew up in Mitchell and attended school there. On May 13, 1967, she was united in marriage to Louis Cooper in Mitchell. In 1968, they moved to North Platte. She was active in the Calvary Assembly of God Church and with the Salvation Army Soup Supper. Linda attended Victory Church of God. She loved to cook, loved her family, loved babies and was the best bargain shopper ever. She is survived by her husband, Louis; her daughters, Karla Cooper and Bobbie (Jay) Steffens all of North Platte; her sisters, Jeanette (Dale) Schroeder of Mitchell, SD, Laurel (Ed) Osborne of Sioux Falls, SD and Marlene Wright of Scottsdale, AZ; grandchildren, Alex Steffens of Omaha, Alysa Steffens of Littleton, CO and Ayden Steffens of North Platte; and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Glenda Cooper; three brothers, David, Jerry and Roger Cain; and a sister, Glenda Cain. Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. A memorial has been established in her memory. Services will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Burial will be at Floral Lawns Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with family receiving friends from 6 to 8 at the funeral home. Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in care of arrangements.