Johnathon Gerberding

Johnathon Gerberding, age 20, of Aurora, died Saturday, May 24, 2008, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 A.M., Friday, May 30th at Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora. Revs. Sheryl and Chris Kester Beyer will officiate. Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 P.M. Thursday at Messiah Lutheran Church. Family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family.

OBITUARY: JOHNATHON GERBERDING

Johnathon Lee Gerberding, the son of Kenneth and Pamela (Schultz) Gerberding, was born at Aurora, Nebraska on August 31, 1987 at Memorial Hospital and died in Kearney, Nebraska on May 24, 2008, at the age of 20.

John was baptized on October 4, 1987 and confirmed on April 28, 2002 into the Lutheran faith at Messiah Lutheran Church. John was a member of Messiah Lutheran at the time of his death. John was a very loving and sensitive young man as he could always sense what others were feeling. John participated in wrestling, basketball and football throughout his elementary and middle school years. In high school, John participated in the musicals, speech, Rhapsody, chorus and one act plays. He was a mentor for Merwyn Davidson’s youth Bible study at the youth center which he thoroughly enjoyed. John had a very strong faith in God throughout his life. He loved helping with Vacation Bible School at Messiah Lutheran Church and Evangelical Covenant Church for several summers. John loved his weeks at Carol Joy Holling Bible Camp in Ashland. It was always hard to start the week for him but always harder for him to leave camp and come home.

During high school and college, John was a member of the Wayne’s Pawn Shop’s paintball team as well as the teams for Warped Sports in Kearney. Next to his first love, Chamonix, paintball was John’s second love. John graduated from Aurora High School in 2006 and had just completed his second year at UNK where he was on the Dean’s list. He worked for John Rogers as a handyman for several years and also worked for a couple of summers with Jim Willis laying concrete. John had just started his internship in Construction Management with Peter Kiewit out of Omaha, Nebraska. He loved this job and had found his niche in life. He was so excited to be working for Peter Kiewit and had learned so much in the few weeks he had been there. John lived life to the fullest and will be missed by many for his beautiful smile and contagious laugh.

John is preceded in death by his father Ken Gerberding on June 13, 1995, his grandmother, Inez Gerberding on October 21, 1994, uncle Robert Powers and two cousins Christina and Elizabeth Powers.

Survivors of the immediate family include his parents, Tim and Pam Tyma, sister Sharisa Tyma of Aurora, and his special friend and love, Chamonix Young, of Kearney.

Also surviving him are his paternal grandfather, Harold Gerberding and wife Lucille of Deshler, maternal grandparents, Ed and Bert Schultz of Superior, grandparents Terry and Virginia Tyma of North Platte and great-grandmother Doris Jensen of Grand Island. Aunts and uncles, Barbara Powers of Davenport, Teresa and Doyle Christensen of Superior, Larry and Jodie Schultz of Superior, Teresa Helie of North Platte, and Tony Tyma of Bellevue. Cousins, Cherrie and Jerry Outhet, Coleman and Jerra of Deshler, James and Melissa Powers and Nathaniel of Byron, Matt and Missy Schultz of Fairbury, Marc and Robbyn Schultz of Omaha, Darcie Christensen, Marti and Bryce Blecha and Bladen, Brett Christensen all of Lincoln, Brock Christensen of Superior, Sean Helie of North Platte, Adam and Jamee Helie and Lincoln of Dallas, Texas, Cory Helie of Kearney and Dylan Tyma of Bellevue, and many other relatives and a multitude of friends.