Local Funeral Notices
LeRoy Ristow, 80
Funeral services for LeRoy Ristow will be held on Thursday, July 3, 2008 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Plainview.
Interment will be held at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Plainview.
Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ashburn Funeral Home on Wednesday.
Military rights at the funeral will be conducted by the Plainview American Legion Post #148 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #5330.
Ristow was born in Pierce County on January 19, 1928 to Albert and Rose (Reikofski) Ristow and passed away on Sunday, June 29 at his home.
He was baptized and confirmed at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Foster.
Ristow graduated from Plainview high School in 1946, and, after graduation, he farmed on the family farm and then entered the U.S. Navy. He served from 1952 to 1956.
Four days after returning home from the Navy he was united into marriage to Betty Carrell at Trinity Lutheran Church in Foster. To this union two children were born, Dale and Diane.
After marriage, Leroy returned to farming and also worked doing custom bailing and cutting trees for many people.
In 1987, Ristow became the Pierce County Veterans Service Officer, a position he retained until retiring in 1994. He remained active buy helping several farmers with their planting and harvest. He was also the maintenance man at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church until “retiring again” in April of 2008.
Ristow was known by many as the “Pancake Man,” as he enjoyed cooking pancakes on his big grill for many Boy Scout camps and for many other organizations.
Ristow was very active in the Plainview Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. He has held many offices in the local chapters and has held many offices for the VFW on the district and state levels. He enjoyed public speaking and has done many talks to organizations and on Memorial Day.
Ristow is credited with starting the Nebraska Mini-Navy Reunion and also his family’s reunion.
He was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Plainview and has held many offices throughout the church.
Ristow’s hobbies included wood working, playing cards, having coffee at the local shop, camping and traveling with his wife and spending time with his family. Ristow was remembered by his family as “never knowing a stranger and always having a hand shake for everyone.”
He was preceded in death by his parents, a grandson and two step-great-grandchildren.
Ristow is survived by his wife, Betty; son, Dale and wife, Sherry and daughter, Diane Elwood and her husband, Reid, all of Plainview; grandchildren Seth Ristow and wife, Helen of Lincoln; Jennifer and husband, Troy Diede of Sioux Falls, S.D.; Jaymi and husband, Shawn Montogmery of Texas; Molly Elwood of Plainview; step-grandchildren, Lonna and husband, Dave Mosel of Plainview and Bob Hobbs of Lincoln; two great-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren; sister, Dorothy, and husband, Don Schutte of Wisner; nieces, nephews, many cousins and a host of friends.
Joan Jenkinson, 73
Memorial services for Merna Joan Jenkinson were held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 26 at the Bible Baptist Church in Columbus.
Pastor Robert Walker officiated at the service and interment was at the Roselawn Cemetery in Columbus.
Jenkinson was born to Andy and Maude (Rife) Osborn in Powers County, Colo. on November 23, 1934 and died June 24, 2008 at the age of 73.
On September 13, 1953 she married Clyde Jenkinson at Pleasant Heights Church in rural Lamar, Colo. and the couple moved to rural Columbus in 1960 where they farmed until 1970.
In 1970, the couple moved into Columbus and operated Jenkinson & Son Trucking. Joan operated the Columbus Truck Plaza Café until 1993.
Jenkinson was a member of the Bible Baptist Church and enjoyed gardening, cooking and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was remembered by her family as a “kind and loving wife, mother and grandmother.”
She was preceded in death by a son, Arthur; two sisters, Linda Balmer and Doris Smith and a twin brother, Joe.
Jenkinson is survived by her husband, Clyde; children and spouses, Shirley and Mike Koch, Karen and Jerry Anderson and James and Kathy Jekinson, all of Columbus and Clark and Sheila Jenkinson and Carolyn Jenkinson of Stanton; daughters-in-law and spouses, Pat and Arthur Jenkinson and Barbara Jenkinson of Columbus; sisters, Evelyn Tucker of Columbus and Paula and Ivan Haddock of Omaha; brothers, Fred and Faye Osborn of David City; Bill and Lila Osborn of Lamar, Colo.; 31 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
Mearl Hoffart, 85
Memorial services for Merle “Stormy” Hoffart of Plainview were held Saturday, June 28, 2008 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Plainview.
Internment was at Pleasant View Cemetery. Pastor Marcille Jensen officiated.
Serving as pallbearers were Kelly Hoffart, Todd Hoffart, Matt Hoffart, Ben Hoffart, Kirby Hoffart, Jill Hoffart and Keri Lammers.
Congregational hymns were “Amazing Grace,” “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” and “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Judy Beaudette served as organist.
Military rights were conducted by American Legion Post #148 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #5330.
Hoffart was born as the fourth of eight children to Henry J. and Fairy (Sterner) Hoffart on February 10, 1923 in the Eden Valley area. He passed away on June 25, 2008 in Lincoln.
He attended school at District 21 and graduated from Plainview High School in 1940.
In 1943 he was inducted into the army and served on the European front during World War II. He was discharged in 1945.
On July 18, 1944, he was married to Helen Hilkemeier in Center.
Following his discharge from the army, Hoffart was employed by the Pierce County Department of Roads. Hoffart worked for the Department of Roads for 34 years.
After leaving the department, he was employed by the Plainview Manor until 1988 when he retired.
Hoffart was baptized and confirmed as a member of the Eden Valley Lutheran Church. This membership continued at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.
He was also a member of the American Legion and the Plainview County Club.
Hoffart took great pride in his large, abundant vegetable gardens, often sharing his harvest with friends and family.
After shooting a hole-in-one while on his first golf outing, he became an ardent fan of the game and spent many of his retirement hours on the golf course.
As his health began to fail, his computer correspondence with sons and grandchildren brought him great pleasure.
He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister; his brother, Arthur, and brother-in-law Herbert Wacker.
Hoffart is survived by his wife, Helen; his sons, Terry and his wife, Patricia of Stromsburg, Jim and his wife, Janice of Ravenna, and Ron and his wife, Carol of Lincoln; seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; his sisters, Bernice Wacker of Norfolk and Donna and her husband, Keith Lerum of Plainview; his brothers, Warren and his wife, Ruth of Plainview, Ervin and his wife, Marian of Needham Heights, Mass. and Henry Jr. and his wife, LoRayne, of Phoenix, Ariz. and many nieces and nephews.
Click HERE to go back to the Main Page.