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Plains Edition Obituaries

, 52, of rural Gibbon died Aug. 6, 2007, at his home.

He was born Aug. 9, 1954, in Wichita, Kan., to Orville and Zelda (Keiper) Caruthers.

On June 4, 1977, he married Jodene Waldman in Columbus.

He entered the Marine Corps on Dec. 29, 1971, and served in the Vietnam era. He was honorably discharged Dec. 24, 1974.

The couple lived in Kearney, where he was employed by Coleman Powermate until 2003. They moved to rural Gibbon, and he was employed by Kearney Cab Co.

Survivors include his wife; son, Daniel of Kearney; mother, Zelda Caruthers-Huss of Des Moines, Iowa; sister, Carolyn of Des Moines; and stepfather, Noel Huss of Des Moines; his aunts, Elsie Nan Mezick of Grandbury, Texas, and Eleanor Keiper of Des Moines.

He was preceded in death by his father.

, 89, of Litchfield died Aug. 7, 2007, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

He was born June 2, 1918, in Sherman County to Henry and Mary (Benub) Rolfsmeyer.

On Oct. 29, 1947, he married Regina Zimmer at Sacred Heart Church in Ansley.

He was educated at Union Ridge School. After their marriage, the couple made their home on a farm south of Litchfield. He was a member of St. Gabriel’s Church in Hazard.

Survivors include his wife; sons, Bill and Jerry, both of Litchfield, and John of Ravenna; daughters, Mary and Barb, both of Litchfield, Lori Tuma of Ord and Rhonda Johnson of Alma; brother, Elmer of Kearney; 13 grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters.

He was preceded in death by a son, Robert; infant daughter, Margaret; brothers, Rolland and Walt; sister, Amanda Bramer; and an infant sister.

, Sr., 90, a longtime Ogallala resident, died Aug. 18, 2007, at Ogallala Community Hospital.

He was born in Thune, Neb., on Nov. 16, 1916, to C.G. and Marie (Reichenberg) Engelbrecht.

His father homesteaded land in southeast Arthur County in 1904. The original homestead still remains in the family. In his later years, he loved going to the Sandhills and spending the day mending fences, fixing windmills, which were always a source of curiosity for him, and repairing the aging buildings, which C.G. built by himself for his expanding family. His early education was spent in a country school and his horse was his means of transportation for him and his siblings.

He attended Elm Creek High School, and he boarded with his dad’s brother. He helped in the blacksmith shop and served as custodian of the high school to pay for his education. After graduation, he returned to his father’s ranch to work for him and other ranchers in the area.

Because of his sense of adventure and curiosity, his brother, Carl, a friend and he traveled to California, working for gas money and food along the way. He later returned to California alone and enrolled in an aviation school to study aircraft construction and mechanics.

During a leave from school, he returned to Nebraska and married Lorraine Eunice De Ford in 1941 in Harrisburg, Neb. They returned to California where they lived in Culver City. He was employed by McDonnel Douglas Aircraft Company, which has since become a part of Boeing. He worked there as a quality control inspector; he either “bought” the newly constructed airplanes allowing them to pass inspection, or rejected the airplanes, which were returned to the hangar for further improvement. His performance ability in accurately inspecting the planes was 99 percent.

World War II was raging throughout Europe and the South Pacific when he was drafted in the Air Force in 1945 and sent to Leyte Island in the Philippines where he piloted and maintained aircraft. He was assigned to the 13th Squadron Airborne, one of the members of author Tom Brokaw’s “Greatest Generation” and maintained an active membership until his death. He was honorably discharged in 1946, upon the end of the war, and returned to California.

However, his father’s health was deteriorating, and he needed assistance in maintaining his ranch. As a result, Paul, Lorraine, and Shirley, returned to the Nebraska Sandhills, his second love. He ranched for a number of years, moving to Ogallala in 1955, with two additional children, Connie and Paul John, Jr. While his wife returned to teaching in local country schools, he worked for Kansas-Nebraska Gas Company as a meter repairman. He, with help from several uncles, built the family home in Ogallala where they resided until Feb. 2007, when ill health forced him to seek care in the Indian Hills Manor.

Survivors include his dearly beloved wife of 66 years, Lorraine Engelbrecht of Ogallala, and his children, Connie (Chris) Ferguson of Glendale, Ariz., Paul John (Cindy) Engelbrecht Jr. of Ft. Collins, Colo., and Shirley Neal, of Long Beach, Calif.; two brothers, Carl Engelbrecht of Twin Falls, Idaho and Frank (Sheila) Engelbrecht of Independence, Mo.; two sisters, Carol (Emil) Schuessler of Brule and Marlys (Tex) Harris of Lamar, Colo.; five grandchildren, Stephanie Jewett of Omaha, Paul John Engelbrecht III of Coral Springs, Flo., Heather Engelbrecht of Ft. Collins, Colo., Chad Ferguson of Glendale, Ariz.; and Brent Neal of Long Beach, Calif.; two great grandchildren, Nicole and Brooke Jewett of Omaha and special caregivers, Dorothy Jehorek and nephew, Gene Meredith.

, 90, of Ravenna died Aug. 18, 2007, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

She was born April 17, 1917, in Hordville to Arvid and Clara (Ortegren) Carlson.

She was educated in Hordville and graduated from Hordville High School. She attended nursing school in Kearney.

She married Elmer W. Peterson on Sept. 26, 1936, in Hordville. The couple made their home on a farm near Hordville. Elmer died in 1964.

She moved to Kearney in 1965. She worked as a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney until her retirement in 1985.

She married George Habe on Sept. 30, 1983, and they made their home in Ravenna. George died on Jan. 19, 1998.

She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Altar Society and the VFW Auxiliary.

Survivors include three daughters, Eileen Burrus of Sherman, Texas, Norma Asher of Hazard and Lois Tatum of Moore, Okla.; a son, Wesley Peterson of Kearney; and a brother, Gerald Carlson of Lincoln; nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Elmer Peterson and George Habe; one brother and one granddaughter.


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