Tyson Goertzen

Tyson Goertzen, age 20, of Aurora died Thursday, September 23, 2004 in Lincoln.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 A.M., Monday, September 27th at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora. Rev. Sheryl Kester Beyer will officiate. Interment will be at the Hampton Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 - 8 P.M., Sunday with the family receiving friends from 5 - 7 P.M. at the church. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: TYSON GOERTZEN

Tyson Wayne Goertzen, the son of Rick W. and Carmen L. (Schrader) Goertzen, was born in Henderson, Nebraska on November 7, 1983 and died in Lincoln, Nebraska on September 23, 2004, at the age of 20.

Tyson grew up in Aurora and went to Pat Long's pre-school. He attended Aurora Public Schools and graduated from Aurora High School in 2002. Throughout high school he worked at several restaurants in the Aurora and Grand Island area; McDonald's, Country Kitchen, Godfather's Pizza, Valentino's and Tree Tops. During the last two years Tyson worked on construction sites in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bathalto, Illinois, Elk City, Oklahoma and Hays and Phillipsburg, Kansas.

Tyson was a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Aurora, where he was baptized, on December 11, 1983, and confirmed, on April 26, 1998. When working out of state, Tyson attended other churches and organizations near his work. Tyson liked to play video games with his friend John and loved to be with his niece and nephew, Maria and Julian. He enjoyed visiting with family and cookouts that they had. Tyson loved to drive and visit places he had never seen and he always seemed to make friends wherever he went. Tyson loved life and even in death he gave the gift of life, by donating his organs and helping several people.

He was preceded in death by grandfather, Lowell Schrader; great-grandparents, Abraham and Minnie Goertzen, Flora and Frank Batman, Carl and Lizzie Schrader and Sam and Lena Troester.

Those left to cherish his memory are his parents, Rick and Carmen Goertzen of Aurora; two brothers, Sedrick A. Goertzen of Barstow, California and Bradon L. Goertzen of Lincoln; grandparents, Dent and LaRie Goertzen of Aurora; grandmother, Phyllis (Mrs. Lowell) Schrader of Hampton; aunt and uncle, Wesley and Leta Friesen of Polk; uncle, Curtis Goertzen of Aurora; aunt, Sheila Goertzen of Aurora; cousins, Carrie Goertzen of Aurora and KileyJo and Grant Friesen of Polk; niece, Maria Goertzen and nephew, Julian Goertzen. Tyson is also survived by great aunts, great uncles, cousins and many friends.