Myron Omel

Myron W. Omel, son of Armand and Alta Omel, was born July 2, 1917 in Aurora, and died at Memorial Care Center, Aurora, on November 13, at the age of 103. His favorite conversational line in the last few years was, “do you know how OLD I am?!” and he was always the oldest person in the room.
There will be a public visitation on Tuesday, November 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary.  Current CDC guidelines will be followed.  Facemasks are required.  A Private Family Service will be held with Rev. Penny Schulz officiating.  The service will be livestreamed  on Penny Plock Schulz’s Facebook page for anyone wishing to watch the service beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.  Memorials may be given to the family to designate at a later date.  Condolences may be e-mailed to the family throught the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com
Myron grew up on the family farm northwest of Giltner, graduated 8th grade at Beaver School District 39, and high school at Giltner Public, graduating in 1935. He was very active in baseball, basketball and track.
He helped with the family farm till 1939 then relocated to Long Beach, California to attend aircraft school. In January 1940 he was employed at Northrup Aircraft, fabricating parts for the flying wing. On April 18, 1942 he married Martha May Lindstrom. Myron entered the U.S. Army in April 1945. His WWII experience included deployment with the first troops to occupy the mainland of Japan. He had the priviledge of being chosen as a member of General MacArthur’s Honor Guard. Myron was issued an honorary medal for serving in the Honor Guard and attended many reunions of the Guard, even returning to Tokyo one year.
In 1948 the family moved from California to a farm north of Giltner. Myron said in the beginning, farming was a learning experience for wife Martha, who was always a “city girl”.  They lived on that farm 61 years raising 3 children, growing corn, living life, and helping others. He was a builder, could fix almost anything, an inventor, and lived and farmed with the “make do, can do” spirit.
Myron enjoyed golf and bowling in his later years and won several senior golf tournaments well into his 90’s. For twenty years before Martha’s death in January 2007 the couple traveled extensively in the United States, Europe and New Zealand, usually traveling with tour groups that became another whole circle of friends.
Myron accepted Christ as his personal savior and was baptized in 1932. This decision became a lifetime of service to the Christian Church as teacher, deacon, elder, and service to church members and the community. Martha and Myron met at the Christian Church in Long Beach, California. Myron’s life was one of service;  to the land, to the people he met, to God. He once said he hoped he would be remembered as someone who tried to help people, that he always tried to do the right thing and lived a good life.
In Myron’s family the last words before leaving were always I love you, before you said goodbye.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Martha, son Gary, infant son Kevin Carl, grandson Kevin, daughter-in-law Pat Omel, brothers Leal, Fostin (Toot), Jerry, sisters Liva, Evelyn, Verna, Donna, and other relatives and friends.
Those left to cherish his memory are son Jim of Grand Island, daughter Janalee (Fred) Petsch of Milford;  daughter-in-law Sandy Omel of Florida; grandchildren, great and great-great-grandchildren, Marion (Delores) Omel of Grand Island, Bud (Pat) Omel of Las Vegas, NV and Howard Hurley of Everett, WA along with numerous nieces, nephews and friends.