Esther Marlene Castor, 63, of Lusk, Wyoming, died peacefully July 14, 2018, in her sleep at home.

Esther was born on May 3, 1955, to Arthur Levi and Lola Bernice (Brown) Castor in North Platte. She was the seventh of eight children. She grew up in Maxwell, where she attended school until the eighth grade, and later received her GED from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, in 1994.

Esther left home when she was 16 years old and married Bradley Zimmerman. To this union two children were born, Trevor Lee Zimmerman in 1972 and Angela Dawn Zimmerman in 1976. Esther and Bradley later divorced, and she met and married Russell Ommen. To this union one child was born, Traci Lynn (Ommen) Dockery in 1982. Russell and Esther later divorced as well.

Esther loved to spend time with her family and especially her grandchildren. She spent many, many hours babysitting and caring for all of them. She also loved to go for long drives (she never turned down a good road trip!). She also enjoyed fishing, camping, dancing and gardening.

She is preceded in death by her father, Arthur Castor; niece and nephew, Melissa Bates and Michael Reed; daughter, Angela Zimmerman; sister, Barbara Bates; brother, Arthur Castor Jr.; and brother-in-law, Dallas Houchin.

Esther is survived by her mother, Lola Castor of Alliance; sisters, Sharron (Leroy) Perkins of Maxwell, Alice Foster of North Platte, Gladys (Bud) Welch of Alliance, Linda Houchin of North Platte; brother, Rodger Castor of Maxwell; son, Trevor (Crystal) Zimmerman Sr. of Wheatland, Wyoming; daughter, Traci (Brett) Dockery of Lusk; grandchildren, Michael Sears, Brandon Sears, Trevor Zimmerman Jr., Hunter Zimmerman, all of Wheatland, Wyoming, Brittany Knop and Christopher Knop, both of Lusk; great-grandchildren, Jaylynn Sears of Lovelocke, Nevada, Dallas Sears and Jordan Sears, both of Wheatland, and Forrest Zimmerman of Cheyenne; and many nieces, nephews and dear friends, Rhonda Stone, Dixi Blaney and Robert Heth, all of Lusk, and Dave Burger, of Lovell, Wyoming.

She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Memorials are suggested to the Lusk Housing Authority or to Lusk Animal Control.

Services will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, at the Lusk Elk’s Lodge No. 1797 with Pastor Tom Strock officiating. Cremation has taken place. Her ashes, along with her daughter Angela Zimmerman’s ashes, will be spread at a later date over her father’s grave in North Platte, and over the Chief Joseph Highway outside Cody, Wyoming. Pier Funeral Home, Lusk, is in charge of arrangements.

Fred L. Kraye, 83, passed away July 16, 2018, at Pioneer Memorial Rest Home in Mullen.

Fred was born on Aug. 6, 1934, to Ernst and Lydia (Helen) Jordan Kraye, at the ranch southwest of Mullen. Fred graduated from Mullen High School in 1951 and was a past president of the Mullen Alumni Association. Fred attended every one of his 67 alumni banquets.

Fred married Theresa Sullivan on April 14, 1956, and to this union four children were born Carol, Fredrick, John and Michael.

During his lifetime, Fred was a rancher, a businessman, a truck driver, a farmer and a cattle order buyer. He was a longtime sports fan and an active community member. Fred was a lifetime member of the American Angus Association and a past president of the Nebraska Angus Association.

From 1968 through 2003, Fred and Theresa Kraye owned and operated Kraye Feed and Supply and K+T Trucking. They resided at the ranch, southwest of Mullen until August 1974, when they moved to town.

Fred was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife, Theresa.

Fred is survived by his children and their spouses, Carol (John G.) Wright of Mullen, Fredrick (Judy) Kraye of North Platte, John (Julie) Kraye of Mullen and Mike (Tonya) Kraye of Rapid City, South Dakota; grandchildren and their spouses, Christina (Kirk) Stieb of Loup City, Stephanie (Bryan) Guy of Omaha, Brian and Brad Wright of Mullen, Paul Kraye of Lincoln, David Kraye (Stacey Layher) of Mullen, Helen Kraye of Red Oak, Iowa, Sterling, Bridger and Kadyn Kraye, all of Rapid City; great-grandchildren, Zac, Chase, Jessica and Wyatt Stieb and Katie, Avery, Emily and Daisy Guy; and siblings, Betty Kraye and Nancy Laier.

Memorials are suggested to the Pioneer Memorial Rest Home, the Mullen Alumni Association or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be shared at govierbrothers.com.

Services will be at 11 a.m. MT on Saturday, July 21, at the Hooker County Community Building. Burial will be at Cedarview Cemetery, Mullen. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. MT on Friday, July 20, at the Mullen Funeral Home, which is in charge of arrangements.

Suzanne Gollihare, age 71, of North Platte, died July 15, 2018 at Great Plains Health.  She was born August 31, 1946 in Scottsbluff, NE to Lloyd and Joan (Wardyn) Peters.  After her father’s death, she and her siblings were adopted by her step-father, Paul Lockard. Suzanne graduated from North Platte High School.

Suzanne resided in Scottsbluff, Moses Lake, WA, El Paso, and settled in North Platte where she worked at Sears as service manager, Karls, and Herberger’s, where she retired in 2006.  Suzanne married John R. “Tex” Gollihare on February 4, 1972 in North Platte.  She was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, former PTA president at Buffalo School, member of the Painting Princesses (cancer survivors group) where she developed a love for water painting, and was Auxiliary President of the VFW.  Suzanne loved to sew and make wedding and prom dresses for relatives, and enjoyed quilting.

Survivors include her husband, John “Tex” Gollihare of North Platte; children, Henry (Michele)  Kivett of Hershey, Jerome (Michelle) Gollihare of Denver, Shawn (Cammie) Gollihare of Colorado Springs, Bridget (Mark) Haneborg of North Platte; grandchildren, Anessa, Kaitlyn, Ashley, Joel, Dominic, Sydney, Gracie, Brady, Khloe, and Max; great granddaughter, Zoey; siblings, Joseph (Mary) Lockard of Lincoln, Nancy (Nathan) Shrieberg of North Platte, and Victor (Wendy) Lockard of North Platte; and many other family members, and many friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents; her step father, and a brother Mitchell Lockard. Memorials may be directed to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and online condolences can be made at www.adamsswanson.com.

Christian Wake Services will be 7 p.m. Wednesday July 18, 2018 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.  Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Thursday July 19, 2018 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church with the Rev. Matthew Nash as celebrant. Burial will be at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell, NE.  Visitation will be Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Adams & Swanson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Franklin Kenneth “Ken” Wachholtz, 78, of Bentonville, Arkansas, passed away June 29, 2018, in his home, surrounded by his family.

He was born on June 25, 1940, in Neligh, to Edwin and Bernadine (Gilster) Wachholtz. Ken graduated from North Platte High School in 1959 and was a football and basketball letterman.

He was employed by Union Pacific Railroad and married his high school sweetheart, Judith Wilnes, in 1960. They soon moved to California, where Ken learned the electrical trade.

In 1977, he started his own electrical contracting business, Star Electrical Contractors. During that time, Ken mentored many young men who later became electricians.

Ken and Judy proudly celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on June 5, 2018.

Ken’s favorite activities were spending time with his family, boating, hunting, fishing, golfing, cards and of course, following USC and Nebraska football along with the Green Bay Packers, the Lakers, the Angels and Norco High. He also participated in Ducks Unlimited.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Harlan.

Ken is survived by his wife, Judy; two daughters, Kena Jo Wachholtz and Sherry Rolsma, both of Bentonville; one son, Kyle (Nicole) Wachholtz of California; two sisters, LaJean (Val) Long of Iowa and Linda (Steven) Campbell of California; one brother, Larry (Vicki) Wachholtz of South Carolina; five grandchildren, Haley and Brady Rolsma, Braxton, Leighton and Kylee Wachholtz.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Circle of Life Hospice, Bentonville, nwacircleoflife.com/donatesupport or Hope Lutheran Church, Palm Desert, California, hopepd.org/give. Online condolences may be shared at [email protected] by placing Ken’s name in the subject line.

Services will be at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 21, at Hope Lutheran Church, 45900 Portola Ave., Palm Desert, California. Epting Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Ruth L. Parker, 89, died June 26, 2018, in Mesa, Arizona.

She was born in Frontier County on Feb 10, 1929, the daughter of Harry and Rena Fenton. She graduated from the Farnam High School in 1946, then worked for the First National Bank in North Platte.

In addition to being a faithful housewife and mother, she worked at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for over 20 years.

She married Curtis W. Parker on April 7, 1951, who preceded her in death.

She is survived by three sons, Joseph in Missouri, Raymond in Arizona, Kirk in Lincoln; one daughter, Lori in Illinois; sister, Betty Cover in North Platte; brother, Gene Fenton in Arizona; as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Ruth will be buried with her husband, Curtis, at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 20, at Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell. Visitation with the family will immediately follow the funeral and continuing until 2 p.m., in Room 148, of the Quality Inn & Suites Hotel, 2102 S. Jeffers St.

Orville Eugene Schaeffer, 65, of North Platte, died Friday, July 13, 2018, at Great Plains Health.

Orville was born on February 27, 1953, in Loveland, CO, to Charles Vernon and Lois Marie (Armstrong) Schaeffer. He grew up in Loveland where he graduated from high school then moved to Alaska to work in the oil fields for a while. Orville later returned to Loveland where he worked as a security guard. He attained the rank of Captain then retired due to his health.

Orville was married to Brenda Wiener for many years until her death. In 2011 he moved to North Platte to be closer to his sister. He enjoyed elk hunting in Colorado and doing wooden craft projects.

Along with his wife, Brenda, Orville was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Lois; and daughter, Sheila Schaeffer.

He is survived by his daughter, Saundra Smith, of Ohio; sister, Bonnie (Steve) Pursley, of North Platte; brothers, William and Jerry Schaeffer, of Missouri, and Johnny Schaeffer, of Illinois; two grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews and other family.

Cremation was chosen. Memorial Service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore with Pastor Jeremy Rinke officiating. The memorial book may be signed at odeanchapel.com or prior to the service at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements.

Verna H. (Gebhards) David, 97, of North Platte, passed away July 13, 2018 at Linden Court.  She was born to Henry and Carrie (Gruben) Gebhards on August 6, 1920 in Nuckolls County, NE.

She attended Nebraska Public Schools and graduated from Nelson High School, where she earned an Elementary Teaching Certificate and was awarded a four year scholarship, which she used at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  She worked for a short time during WWII in the Dept. of Commerce in Washington D.C. before returning to Nebraska to complete a college degree.  Following graduation she taught business subjects and home economics at Paxton High School.

In 1948, she and Virgil T. David, a WWII veteran from Paxton, were united in marriage at Salem Lutheran Church in Superior, NE.  Following a wedding trip to California, they established a home in North Platte, where they built a home on East Circle Drive.  They became active members of the community.  Their two sons were born in North Platte.

Verna enjoyed short-term teaching when needed in the typing and bookkeeping classes in North Platte Senior High School until her sons finished Junior High.  She then accepted a position to teach eight grade English at Adams Junior High.  During the 19 years she taught at Adams, she took numerous relevant college courses.

As a child, she was baptized and confirmed at Salem Lutheran Church in Superior.  In North Platte, she became an active member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church.  There she was active in the children’s Sunday School many years, held offices in the Women’s Organizations, and served on the Church Council and Leadership committees.  She was also an active leader in grade school National PTA, a member of National and Nebraska English Teachers, local teachers organizations, and DELTA KAPPA GAMMA International Teachers Honorary.

Verna devoted many hours to maintaining a family home and supporting activities of her family.  She looked forward to opportunities to travel and felt fortunate to be able to tour Europe and China.

She is survived by her sons, Mark B. David of Lincoln, NE and Paul T. David, MD and his children Philip and Caroline of Santa Barbara, CA; and two sisters, Annetta Oden of North Platte and Carrie Pasewark of Dunkirk, MD.

She was preceded in death by her husband of fifty one years; her parents; a sister, Adessa Dunn; a brother, Chester Gebhards; and an infant brother.

Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. A memorial has been established in her memory.  Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel.  Services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at First Evangelical Lutheran Church with the Rev. Steve Berke officiating.  Burial will be at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell.  Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in care of arrangements.