Obituaries

Mary Etoile (Colborn) Axelson passed away peacefully with her daughters at her side on November 9, 2019, at the Valley View Senior Village, Ord, two days following her 95th birthday.
Service in Mary’s honor will be held at a later date. All Faiths Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.
Mary was born to Hannah (Clarke) and Ben Colborn of Palmer, on Nov. 7, 1924.  Mary attended elementary school at District 31 in Merrick County.  She attended high school for 3 years at Central City High School, and one year at Fullerton High, where she graduated in 1942.  Mary attended one year of college at Nebraska Christian College of Central City.
On June 2, 1943 Mary married Robert Held this union was blessed with six children.

Harriet ‘Jackie’ Kemling, age 98, of Aurora, passed away Saturday, November 9, 2019, at Memorial Community Care.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 at the United Methodist Church in Aurora. Rev. Michelle Reed will officiate. Interment will be at the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.  Memorials may be made to the family to be designated at a later date.  Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.  Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.

Frances Elaine Tonniges, age 96 of Stromsburg, died Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 at Stromsburg. She was born October 26, 1923 at rural Polk, to Fred and Frances Belle (Bittinger) Shockey. Frances graduated from Stromsburg High School in 1942 and then attended college. She was united in marriage to Virgil Richard Tonniges on August 8, 1948 at Arborville, Polk County.
Frances taught school in rural Stromsburg and later was a nurse’s aide until her retirement. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Polk where she was active in women’s group. She also enjoyed going to the Senior Center in Polk, crocheting, playing 6-point pitch, gardening (growing flowers and vegetables), and volunteering for the Election Board at Bradshaw over the years. Most of all, she loved her family and spending time with them.

Rosalie Ann Russell, 80, of Aurora, formerly of Marquette, died on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Aurora Memorial Community Care Center.  Funeral services will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Solt-Wagner Funeral Home in Central City, with Pastor Mark Hartley officiating.  Visitation will be held at Solt-Wagner Funeral Home on Friday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. until service time.  Interment will be held at the Richland Cemetery, near Marquette.  Memorials are suggested to the Richland Cemetery Association.  Condolences may be sent to the family at www.soltwagnerfuneral.com.

Gerald ‘Jerry’ Pohl, age 80, of Aurora, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 at Memorial Hospital.
Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora.  Rev.  Sarah Ruch will officiate.  Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary.  Memorials may be made in care of the family to designate at a later date.  Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Gerald Lee Pohl, son of Carl Julius and Bernice Augusta (Dadey) Pohl, was born at Olpe, Kansas, on Jan. 21, 1939 and passed away at Aurora, on Oct. 24, 2019 at the age of 80.
When he was four years-old the family moved to Phillips, where he attended school and graduated from Phillips High School.  Jerry helped a family member farm and worked at Red & White Grocery Store for 13 years.

Tiffany Jo Dick (Pinkston), age 42, passed away on Oct. 16, 2019, at her home in Wichita, Kans.,  surrounded by family. She was born Dec. 9, 1976, in Great Bend, Kans., the daughter of Chris and Penelope Jo (Garrett) Pinkston. She graduated from Macksville High School in 1995 and attended Sterling College in Sterling, Kans. Tiffany married Bob Dick, June 12, 1999, in Great Bend, Kans.
Tiffany grew up on a farm near Radium, Kansas. There she learned the value of hard work, and what it meant to do things with excellence. Long hours were spent at an early age at her mom or dad’s feet in a tractor or combine as they farmed. Helping work cattle, painting fences, and driving tractors were many of her memories growing up.

Joyce Loree Carpenter, age 85, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away on Oct. 13, 2019 at Olathe Hospice Center, Kansas. Joyce was born to Fredrick and Ruth Sward October 24, 1933, in Ashtabula, Ohio. She graduated from Ashtabula High School in 1951. On May 5, 1955, Joyce was united in marriage to Jack C. Carpenter. To this union was born daughter, Kay and son, Scott. In 1976, Jack and Joyce moved to Hordville, where Jack managed Covenant Cedars Bible Camp and Joyce became the cook for between 75-100 campers.
Besides being a fabulous cook and baker, Joyce enjoyed gardening, sewing, painting, playing cards, and helping Jack with woodworking projects. Jack and Joyce enjoyed watching their grandsons grow up in Nebraska and in 2007, moved to the Kansas City area where they were able to attend their granddaughters’ activities.

Richard Eugene ‘Dick’ Jensen, 76, passed away Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, in his home in Aurora.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aurora. Inurnment will be in the Aurora Cemetery. No visitation. Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Dick Jensen, son of Eugene V. and Leona G. (Strotman) Jensen, was born in Aurora, on Feb. 1, 1943. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Jeanie, who died in 2016.

Wayne Griffith, age 61, of Aurora, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 11 at the Aurora United Methodist Church.   Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Aurora United Methodist Church, 1104 A Street. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to designate at a later date.  Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.  Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Wayne Eugene Griffith, the son of Albert ‘Bill’ and Shirley (Miller) Griffith, was born in Hebron, on Dec. 14, 1957 and passed away in Central City, on Oct. 5, 2019, at the age of 61.

Barb Person, age 83, of Aurora, passed away Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, at Memorial Community Care.
Private Family burial will be in the Aurora Cemetery followed by a Memorial Celebration of Life Service at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Evangelical Covenant Church 1009 1st Street, Aurora. Rev. Karl Larson will officiate. No Visitation.  Memorials may be made in care of the Evangelical Covenant Church or the Memorial Hospital Foundation. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is handling these arrangements. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
Barbara L. Person, the daughter of Elmer A. and Evelyn Josephine (Nyblom) Palmberg, was born at Grand Island, on Feb. 4, 1936, and passed away at Aurora, on Oct. 3, 2019, at the age of 83.