On September 22nd, 2023 Betty Jane Hayes passed away peacefully. She was met in Heaven by her mother and father, Carl and Marie Wittrock, and sisters, Jo Wittrock and Jeanie Sandvig. Betty was born in Falls City, Nebraska on January 14, 1934.  She grew up on the dairy farm of her parents.  Later the family moved into town.  She talked fondly of her great memories of working at the family dairy in town when she went to High School.  She attended Falls...

Mary Lou Doty Eberspacher was born to Clarence and Vida May Doty in Dodge City, Kansas on December 17, 1933.  After graduating high school in Hiawatha Kansas, Mary Lou moved to Grand Island, Nebraska and worked as a telephone operator at  age 18.  It was in Grand Island, that Mary Lou met Glen Lee Eberspacher. The two were married on May 25, 1952. Glen and Mary Lou lived on a farm outside of Utica. Their son Mark was born in July of 1954, and their daughter Melinda...

Janice Butler Granner passed away peacefully in Seward, Nebraska on Sept. 2, 2023.  Funeral services will be Friday September 15 at 10:30 am at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Eldora, Iowa.  Visitation will be Thursday September 14th from 4-7 PM at Abels Funeral Home in Eldora.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Good Shepherd Preschool, Eldora, Dorothy’s Senior Center in Eldora, or to the family c/o Tammy Mackie, 847 N. 6th Street, Seward, NE ...

Betty L. (Garhart) Birkel was born on March 5, 1953 to Albert and Rose (Hansen) Garhart in O’Neill, Nebraska. On October 5, 1970, Betty was united in marriage to Leo Birkel in York, Nebraska.  She worked at Seward Memorial Hospital in laundry and housekeeping and later for Sunrise Country Manor and Kinship Pointe as a CNA and med aide. In her free time, she enjoyed true crime documentaries, fictional murder mystery shows, reading mystery books, doing word searches, all things...

Michael Floyd Baack of Utica was born on November 29, 1954 to Floyd “Shorty” and Elverna M. (Suhr) Baack in Seward, Nebraska.  He attended Centennial High School in Utica, Nebraska graduating in 1973. On July 27, 1973 Mike was united in marriage to Carol Stoll in Ulysses, Nebraska.  They recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. Mike was a farmer, cattle producer and truck driver. He worked hard to find time to spend with his friends and family.  He especially...

Roy Dwayne Ehrlich of Seward was born on October 22, 1946 to Paul and Viola (Bogenhagen) Ehrlich in Burke, South Dakota. He attended Fort Pierre High School in South Dakota graduating in 1964. Roy served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War from 1966 to December 8, 1971. On August 23, 1971 Roy was united in marriage to Linda Hans in Lincoln, Nebraska. He worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber for 34 years retiring in 2003. He then worked for the City of Seward from 2004 - 2021. In...

Duane Lee Broeker punched his bus ticket August 11th, 2023 at the age of 64 at the Broeker Beacon in Garland, Nebraska.  Born during the December 1958 snowstorm to Wallace and Ortha Broeker in Oxford, NE Duane grew up helping on the family farm. Duane graduated from Oxford high school in 1977. During his high school athletic career which included wrestling, football and track, Duane set a hurdle record that will never be broken. Attending first Doane College, Duane...

Carl Henry Everts, of Lincoln, NE (formerly of Seward), went to his eternal home on Monday, August 7, 2023. He was born on November 25, 1930 to John and Anna (Wietzke) Everts on a farm near Grafton, NE. At age two, his mother died, and his dad then married Lydia Koenig. He attended Concordia Teacher’s College in Seward, earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 1953. While at Concordia, Carl began dating fellow student Helen Boernsen from rural Ocheyedan, IA. After winning her...

Dennis “Denny” Carlanne Fritsche of Seward was born on November 22, 1941 to Henry Gerry and Gladys Marie (Sundstrom) Dalton in Evanston, Illinois.  She worked in crafting and artistic fields. In her free time, she enjoyed creating and sewing.  She also liked to take road trips as time allowed.  Denny passed away on August 3, 2023 in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 81.  She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Victoria and Jerry Green of Seward,...

Leo Glenn Birkel, of Seward, was born on June 10, 1949 to Thomas and Betty (Martin) Birkel in David City, Nebraska.  He graduated from David City Aquinas Catholic High School in 1968.  On October 5, 1970 Leo was united in marriage to Betty Garhart in York, Nebraska.  Leo was a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service and he also umpired.  In his free time, he enjoyed watching sports.  He especially liked being outside gardening, listening to birds and...