Saturday, June 12, 2021

Death Notice Daryl D. Taylor

 A Memorial Service for Daryl will be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Exeter. There will be a private Committal Of Ashes.

Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation.


Obituary Joan T. Kuska

 

Joan Theresa Kuska was born to John and Theresa (Leif) Harre on September 19th, 1936, in Exeter, Nebraska and passed away June 9th, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 84 years, 8 months, and 21 days. She was the eleventh child of fifteen children.

Joan was raised in Exeter. She attended St. Stephen’s Catholic School and then Exeter Public High School.

Joan was married to Verlyn Kuska of Exeter, on August 10th, 1957. They moved to Lawton, Oklahoma in 1958. They spent the next few years moving around Nebraska and finally settled in Exeter in 1963. To this union were born three children: Ron, Wayne, and Connie.

While raising her three children, Joan worked a variety of jobs. Her favorite jobs were being a cook at Exeter Public School and a housekeeper/cook at St. Stephen’s Rectory.

Joan loved to cook and spend time with her immediate family, siblings and granddaughters. She enjoyed doing yardwork, kept a big garden, and loved to feed and watch birds. Joan and Verlyn loved to dance and listen to polka music. She was very involved in St. Stephen’s Catholic Church.

Joan was preceded in death by Verlyn Kuska, her loving husband; Ronald Kuska, her dear son; her parents John and Theresa Harre; brothers and sisters; Reta Mae Coffey, Paul Harre, Lawrence Harre, Kenneth Harre, Gladys Coffey, Jerome Harre, Eugene Harre, Aloysius Harre and Patricia Hansen.

She is survived by her son, Wayne (Terri) Kuska of Overland Park, Kansas; her daughter, Connie (James) Bayless of Lincoln; daughter-in-law, Colleen Kuska of Exeter; her four granddaughters, Andres (Scott) Davis of Lincoln; Katie Bayless and fiancé, Jake Kuhn of Lincoln; McKenzie (Erik) Bruening of Omaha; and Kylie Kuska of Council Bluffs, Iowa; her siblings, Evelyn Coffey of Fairmont, Doris (Richard) Nicholas of Exeter; Jeanette Paulus of Loveland, Colorado; Francis Harre of York; and Leona Smith of New Braunfels, Texas.

Friday, June 11, 2021

Obituary Ronald J. "Butchie" Kuska

 

Ronald John Kuska was born in Friend, Nebraska on July 28, 1958, to Verlyn and Joan (Harre) Kuska. After a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, Ron passed away on June 6, 2021, at Bryan East Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 62 years, 10 months and 9 days. Ron was the oldest of 3 children and loved his siblings dearly. He attended St. Stephen’s Catholic School and Exeter Public School, graduating with the class of 1976.

At the age of 13, Ron began working construction, first for Dick Erdkamp, next for Wayne Petersen and eventually, starting his own business, RK Construction. He then took a job at Exeter Public Schools as a custodian for 15 years. Ron still had the desire to be involved with construction, so he started working at Lincoln Lumber and finally, for the last year and a half, at Seward Lumber. He had a way with his customers. His experience and knowledge of lumber materials made him an outstanding salesman. He had customers call him from near and far.

While working at the school, Ron met the love of his life, Colleen Ohnoutka. Ron and Colleen were married on August 4, 2001, in Weston, NE. They enjoyed their time together, whether it be with family, friends or just going out for a quiet evening. Ron and Colleen went on several vacations, with Branson being one of their favorites. Ron’s most loved trip was his 50th birthday party in Las Vegas! What a time he had!

Ron’s nieces and nephews were his pride and joy! He looked forward to any time that they could come to Exeter. He left them with many fond memories of attending their sports and school activities, taking them for golf cart rides, teaching them how to drive, taking them swimming and playing many card games and games of hide-and-seek. He knew this actually gave him the opportunity to act like a kid again!

Butchie, as he was affectionately called, loved Exeter. When he started employment out of town, he would come home and ask what had happened in town during the day, fearing he had missed something big!! He was involved in various organizations and activities. For 35 years, he was a member of the Exeter Fire & Rescue Department. He had a very caring way with the people he tended to on rescue calls. Ron was also a member of the Sons of the Legion and the Knights of Columbus. For a few years, he coached Little League Baseball and truly enjoyed it. He was a dedicated community member!

Ron’s big heart was his trademark. He would help anybody who needed something. The word “No” was not in his vocabulary when it came to others. If there was a card game of some sort being played, he was involved. A trip to the casino was mentioned, and he was ready to go in seconds! Ron had the pleasure of having more than 60 first cousins. He loved every one of them and made his best effort to see them whenever schedules allowed.

Ron was preceded in death by his dad, Verlyn; and grandparents, John and Julia Kuska and John and Theresa Harre.

He is survived by wife, Colleen, Exeter; mother, Joan, Lincoln; brother, Wayne (Terri) Kuska, Overland Park, Kansas; sister, Connie (James) Bayless, Lincoln; in-laws, LeRoy & Lil Ohnoutka, Weston; brothers-in-law & sisters-in-law, Kevin & Deb Ohnoutka, Kansas City, Missouri; Brian & Linda Ohnoutka, Lincoln; Craig & Barb Ohnoutka, Valparaiso; nephews, Kenny Ohnoutka, Scottsdale, Arizona; Travis Ohnoutka, Lincoln; nieces, Andres (Scott) Davis, Lincoln; McKenzie (Erik) Bruening, Omaha; Katie Bayless & fiancé, Jake Kuhn, Lincoln; Kylie Kuska, Council Bluffs, Iowa; Laura (Paul) Ganow, Gretna; Ashley (Tyson) Carlson & Braxton, Valparaiso; Brittany Ohnoutka, Lincoln; Katie Ohnoutka, Lincoln; Rachael (Reese) Graue & family, Kearney, Missouri; and Melissa (Chris) Bolek & family, Kansas City, Missouri. Ron is also survived by a multitude of friends and extended family, who had special places in his heart.

Ron loved being the life of the party and making people laugh. His hearty laugh, booming voice, sense of humor, jokes and fun-loving ways will truly be missed. As Ron’s cousin, Kevin Harre, appropriately said, “Heaven just got a whole lot louder and a heck of a lot more fun!” Rest in peace, Butchie!

Exeter-Milligan Update: View from the front office

 

VIEW FROM THE FRONT OFFICE

WOW – where did the 2020-21 school year run off to?  Before we know it, we will hear Pomp and Circumstance and send kids home for the summer. It has been an exciting year, filled with many firsts and also some second-guesses.  Overall, looking back, it has been a successful one. We are ecstatic we had the opportunity to have in-person delivery of instruction and participate in all of our school activities.  We are truly blessed to have everyone’s support during this trying year.

Unfortunately, we have not had the opportunity to hear some amazing speakers as we have in the past.  As I reminisced about the “good ol’ days”, one speaker who left his mark is Olympic gold medal winner, and Shelby native, Curt Tomasevicz.  His visit had three main points and I would like to put my spin on those points.

            The first point is to remember where you have been.  There is something to be said about experience.  As a beginning teacher, I did not have that experience to draw on once I had my own classroom.  Everything was new to me and I had to experience the good with the bad.  I soon discovered what was taught in college was not exactly how it happened in real life.  Over time, I was able to recognize this and draw on my experiences to help ford the way.

            However, this point also has a flip side to it. As Bon Jovi sings,” Who says you can't go home. There's only one place that call me one of their own.”  We must always remember where we came from.  Those people, places and things have shaped us into who we are today.  Our experiences, where we came from, have helped guide us on our fantastic journey and we must never forget that.

            We must also remember who we are.  Each one of us has a central core of beliefs, beliefs that are developed from where we’ve been and our experiences.  These core beliefs help guide us on our path in life. However, we must not deviate from these core beliefs, these principles.  Compromising these core principles will lead to forgetting who we are and what we stand for.  It will also deviate us from where we are going – it will push us in the wrong direction.

            Throughout all of this, we have to keep focus of where want to go.  The experiences that we’ve had have helped shape our core, but we must have a focus in mind.  This translates into goals. We must always remind ourselves, “OK that’s fine, but where do I go from here. How does this help me in MY journey?”  Without a clear focus of where want to go, we will be like petals in the wind – blown about by forces we cannot control.  This can also shake us from our core beliefs and lead to a destructive path.

            We will say goodbye to three members of our Timberwolf family at the conclusion of the year.  Angie Murphy will step away after spending the last 27 years helping mold our students into musicians. As she departs from our family, she takes with her experience and knowledge that is irreplaceable.  We wish her well in her new endeavor and hope she will always remember where she came from. Angie, you will be missed!

            Beth Vavra steps away after helping for the past 27 years. She has helped keep the South Campus in ship shape and also takes with her institutional knowledge that we can never regain.  We wish the best for her as she enjoys her “retirement.”

            Treven Cerveny will step outside his comfort zone as he moves on to a new endeavor with Gretna Public Schools. We have seen him grow from that “fresh faced” rookie to a seasoned veteran who is able to tackle any issue that comes his way – even the dreaded puberty talk with the 6th grade boys. 

We wish each the best but also hope they remember where they have been.  Each has left an indelible mark on all of us at Exeter-Milligan.

            In a few weeks, we will say goodbye to 12 seniors.  Our goal is to help set these 12 young adults on that righteous path – helping them set a translucent focus of where they want to go. We also want them to remember where they came from and who they are.  Seniors, always remember, who says you can’t come home? I have enjoyed having each one in school and getting to know them as individuals – we started our careers together at E-M 13 years ago! As one of my college professors used to say, “Study hard.”  I would like to add one point to that tidbit of information - enjoy what life has to offer.  Take the talents you have been given and expand on them.  Don’t do just enough to get by, do what it takes to get ahead.  Be the leader of the pack – the view is much better. As Mrs. Kroll would say, “Be the bird!”

            Thought for the month - In life, what appears to be an end is actually a new beginning.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Throwback Thursday June 5, 2011

 

6/5/2011

Exeter Post 218 American Legion recently honored five of its members for 65 years of membership with the American Legion. All of these men served in World War II in a variety of locations. The men honored were Richard Manning, Ted Larsen, Alva Smith, Del Jensen and Frank Tauriella.

Derek Ryan Miller received his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from Des Moines
University in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at the one-hundred and
 eleventh Annual Commencement Ceremony.  It was held on Saturday, May 28, 2011.
Derek is the son of Bill and Shari Miller of Clay Center.  His grandparents are Roger
and Suzanne Johnson of Exeter and Wilma and the late Donald J. Miller of Geneva, NE.

 Exeter Cub Scouts in Pack 218 learned about how a compass works at the Down at the Farm Daycamp at Wessels Living History Farm near York.  Cub Scouts attending were Alec Schlueter, Ben Bartu, Mikey Bartu, Jackson Beethe and Peytan Brandt.

 

Exeter Public Library has begun their summer reading program this year with the theme of  "One World, Many Stories."

 

The library solicited coins and dolls from all over the world for the participants which are now on display.  Books were also chosen to reflect the theme.  Kindergarten and first graders enjoyed their first session reading stories and making their own travel suitcase. 

 

During the month-long program the participants will be able to fill out travel vouchers for each book they read and turn them into the library for a prize drawing.

 

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Death Notice: Joan T. Kuska

 


A Funeral Mass for Joan will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter. A Rosary will be prayed at 10:00 a.m. prior to the Mass.

A Graveside Service will follow in the Exeter Cemetery following the Funeral Mass.

Public visitation will take place on Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter, Nebraska.

Memorials are suggested to the St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter.

Exeter-Milligan-Friend Trap Team Wraps Up Season

Above: Front row from the left Tucker Simms, Cohen Harre, Kierra Papik, Cheyenne Krupicka, Jackson Brandt, Jacob Spohn, Brett Kallhoff, Carver Kanode, Zach Spohn, Rylan Bartels, Dayton Kremer. Second row from the left:  Coach Jeff Combs, Kain Combs, Grady Bresson, Lily Jeffries, Noah Schilz, Casper Mertz, Ja Soukup, Mikey Bartu, Jacob Klooz, Preston Knollenberg, Jordan Lawver, Josiah Oceguera, Chase Paulsen, and Head Coach Justin Harre. Back row from the left: Coach Shane Bristol, Andrew Vavra, Savana Krupicka, Kynli Combs, Andrew Lunt, Tyler Due, Daysan Staskal, Jaiden Papik, Cori Combs, Kaeden Bristol, Jonah Barrow, Gage Rhodes, Cade Kresak, Ben Bartu, Trenton Naber and Coach Travis Combs.

Not pictured: Aiden Vavra, Draven Payne, Zoey Borgman, Tucker Borgman, Andrew Fennell, Devin Harrison, and Jake Leif.

Below – Conference awards and scholarships were presented to (l-r): Jaiden Papik, Kynli Combs, Kain Combs, Cori Combs, Cohen Harre, Mikey Bartu, Aidan Vavra, and Kierra Papik (weekly award).  (Kaedan Bristol, Carver Kanode and Tucker Simms were not pictured).

 


The Exeter-Milligan-Friend Trap team had another successful year.  This year, 44 students comprised the team which is divided into Juniors (age 12 through 8th grade) and Seniors (9 – 12th grade).  They competed with around 160 other shooters every Saturday morning at Crooked Creek club near Aurora.

 

This year the team included 24 juniors and 20 seniors.  Each Saturday the seniors would shoot 50 clays to start the day at the 16 yard line followed by the juniors who shot 50. 

 

In the afternoon, each senior would shoot handicaps, shooting at the line which was half the distance of their score in the first round (i.e. if they shot a 46 out of 50 in the first round they would be at the 23 yard line for handicap).

 

The participants pay no registration fees on the Exeter-Milligan-Friend team because each team member raised funds selling raffle tickets for a gun. Harre was encouraged to see more team members, “We had quite a few new shooters from Friend this year.”

 

“The support from all the communities was amazing this year. We can’t thank them enough as this helps to fully fund the kids’ trap team.”

 

Harre, along with additional coaches Travis Combs, Shane Bristol and Jeff Combs keep busy observing the team and monitoring their shooting during practices and at the meets.  They spend the entire day outside no matter what the weather and with the season starting in mid-March there always seems to be snow and rain for those Saturday mornings

 

Part of the conference fundraiser goes to fund scholarships and this year EMF team member Jaiden Papik received a $500 scholarship from the Central Nebraska Trapshooting Conference this year.

 

At the end of the conference season, awards were passed out with Cori Combs as team captain of the first female team and Kynli Combs also on the first team female. Kaeden Bristol was on the third team for senior males.

 

Receiving Junior team honors were first male team members Kain Combs, Cohen Harre and Aidan Vavra and Mikey Bartu, Carver Kanode and Tucker Simms on the third team junior male.

 

The season culminated with the team participating in the 51st Annual Cornhusker National Jr/Sr High School Shoot sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks and held in Doniphan each year in May.  Over 2400 students participated this year.

 

The junior team of Combs, Bartu, Vavra, Simms, and Harre won second place team overall in the junior division.  Individually Combs placed seventh and Bartu finished in 16th in the state.

 

In the senior division Cori Combs won runner-up for high female handicap.

 

Harre added, “We had another fun year with a great group of kids and parents. We had so many great coaches and parents that it really showed with the kids and how much they improved throughout the year. Trap shooting is an individual sport as well as a team sport so the participants learn that their team is dependent on them to be there.”

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Death Notice: Ronald J. "Butchie" Kuska

 


A Memorial Mass for Ron will be held on Friday, June 11, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Exeter. A Rosary will be prayed at 10:00 a.m. prior to the Mass.

A book signing and public visitation will take place on Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with family present from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter.

It was Ron's wish to be cremated and his ashes will be interred at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to the St. Stephen Catholic Church or the Exeter Fire & Rescue Squads.