Trip to Callaway (2)

Clarinda, IA 47º and overcast
   Couldn't get the blog to do what I wanted, so started a second edition to this posting.

Jake worked many years for the Custer Public Power District as a lineman.  After retiring he has spent many summers building houses for the Power District to put out at their substations.

    Burlington Northern-Santa Fe RR runs an enormous number of unit trains on their main line going through Broken Bow.  We must have seen half a dozen mile-long coal trains either moving east or stopped.  At right is a unit train

 made up of oil cars.  Imagining they came from the North Dakota area that is doing the fracking to get oil and are trying to build an oil line down through Nebraska and south, but having political resistance.

Our purpose of going to Callaway was for funeral of Junior Willis.  He and his wife, Nancy, were classmates graduating from Callaway High School in 1961.  Photo at left shows three members of class of 1960 - Jim Prather, Jerry Hoffman, and Larry Mowery.  At left is 1961 graduates Phil Lord and Craig Meads.

 Photo at left 1961 graduate Lee Ann Nansel Young, 1962 graduate Bernita Hoffman Meads, and Marcie Uhlig how had been with the class of 1961 but moved a few years before 1961.

    At right is photo of photo at the funeral; Junior and Nancy together and separately.  Reflection of the room/lights make this a little hard to view.

Harold Junior Willis
(July 20, 1943 - September 26, 2014)

Harold Junior Willis, 71 of Callaway, Nebraska, passed away Friday, September 26, 2014, at Callaway District Hospital.

Junior was born July 20, 1943, in Lexington, NE to Harold and Margaret (Klein) Willis. He grew up near Merna, NE until 1959, when the family moved to his lifelong home – the ranch north of Callaway. In 1960, he began his farming and ranching career with his father. The partnership would later become Willis Land and Cattle. After the move, Junior began attending Callaway High School. It was there he met the love of his life, Nancy Cantrell. Junior and Nancy graduated together in 1961, and later married on October 6, 1962.

Junior’s life was full of the things he loved; the land, cattle, horses, his family and friends. Junior and Nancy sponsored multiple foreign exchange students through the years and maintained very special relationships with some of them up until his death. His heart was full of love and generosity. Junior loved to travel and was a voracious reader throughout his life. He enjoyed watching rodeo and Husker sports. His kind and gentle nature touched the lives of many and he would always go out of his way to help others.

Junior was a long time member of St. Boniface Catholic Church and served on the Church Board. He also served on the Callaway School Board for 16 years and was one of the original founding members of the Seven Valley’s Rodeo Association and continued that membership for over 43 years.

 Survivors include his wife of nearly 52 years, Nancy; one son and one daughter, Jeff of Callaway, NE and Julie (Gene) Ross of Fremont, NE; 4 grandchildren, Hunter and Ellana Willis of Callaway and Jacob and Jackson Ross of Fremont; mother-in-law, Lucille Cantrell of Callaway; sister, Joan (James) Downey of Merna, NE; brother, Burton (Carol) Willis of Callaway; 5 nephews and 3 nieces.

Junior was preceded in death by his parents; and, father-in-law, Marion Cantrell.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Callaway with Reverends Thomas Gudipalli and James Novakowski concelebrating.

Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Callaway.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, September 30, 2014, from 5-7 p.m. with Rosary to follow at 7:00 p.m. all at St. Boniface Catholic Church.

Memorials are suggested to Nigel Sprouse Memorial Library, St. Boniface Catholic Church, Callaway District Hospital, or Callaway Rural Fire Department.

Timm-Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Callaway is assisting with arrangements. Please share online condolences with the family through: reynoldslovefuneralhome.com.

Didn't get photos of Karen Leibhart Dodge or her husband Garry.  Karen was in class of 1961.

 Took this picture as we drove by farm home that used to belong to brother Roger & wife until 1990.

Oconto, Nebraska from highway 40.  We lived some 5 miles or so from Oconto when I grew up and our mailing address was Oconto, NE.

Combine full of corn waiting to be unloaded, along High 40 south of Oconto.

Lots of pivot irrigation in Custer County now.  Back in 1954 when our landlord, James Cornish, put down a well we did all the irrigating via ditches and siphon tubes.

 Closer picture of the well and the pivot.

We got to my brother Roger's place in northwest Lincoln a little after 5 pm and had short visit with them over supper.

Made another stop in Nebraska City and was at our place in Clarinda a little before 9:00 pm.  Had driven 600 miles in the two days and seen several people.

 Yesterday (Thursday) we drove in the rain to Shenandoah for an appointment with our tax man to do a pre-year-end estimate.  Patty Steckelberg stopped at our place for lunch.  In the afternoon we made several stops up town, including voting at the Page County Court House since we will be absent in November at time of the elections. 

     Last evening we ate with the "Thursday Bunch" at Jay's Pizza.  At right is Nancy Nothwehr, Liz Rodgers, and Phyllis Miles

 At right is Bill and Janice Francis, Merrily Tunniclif {out of site}, Patty (Book) and her husband Jim on opposite side of table.  Nancy Rahn and Nancy Nothwehr.

After supper Merrily invited us to her "new" condo where we enjoyed a desert.  At left is Merrily and Liz Rodgers.  

At left is Patty (Used to be Book) Merrily and Phyllis.  Patty and her husband Jim live in Durango, CO and were here this week to prepare for her dad's (Harold Book) sale this Saturday.  Harold passed away in January at age 96--he had been part of the "Thursday Bunch" for many years.  Now missing from the bunch are Bob Tunnecliff, Art and Marge Greenwood, Maury Rarick, Merrill and Angie Miller, Harold and Rose Book and probably others I can't think of.  Too many people passing on, it seems.

We are entertaining the children of Phyllis' Aunt and Uncle Ed & Millicent Guthrie's family and their kids with a pizza party this Saturday afternoon.  Plan on going to Harold Book's sale to look at things.  All of the buildings are up for sale with the proviso that they be moved within 60 days.  The Clarinda Band Day is here this Saturday also.

Later, Lynn