Willis Bengtson

Willis Bengtson, age 70, of Aurora, died Monday, December 31, 2007, at Nebraska Heart Institute Hospital in Lincoln.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, January 5th at Higby-McQuiston Chapel in Aurora. Rev. Loren Cooper will officiate. Interment will be in the Hordville Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary. 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.

OBITUARY: WILLIS BENGTSON

Willis Ludwig Bengtson, the son of JL (Lud) and Clara Marie (Jurgens) Bengtson, was born at Hordville, Nebraska on August 24, 1937 and died in Lincoln, Nebraska on December 31, 2007, at the age of 70.

Willis grew up in Hordville and graduated from Hordville High School. Following high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he was stationed at Kadena AB in Okinawa and Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas. He served from 1956 to 1960.

Willis was united in marriage to Lucile Ruth Blase on August 24,1958 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church at Polk.

Following their marriage they resided in San Angelo, Texas and then Omaha where he worked for Sidles and NCR. They moved to Millard and to Grand Island where he continued to work for NCR. Willis also worked for Ag Tronic in Hastings and Coleman Powermate in Kearney. He retired in 2000 and they moved to Aurora.

He was a member of the American Radio Relay League and Data Processing Managers Association in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Willis was a Ham Radio enthusiast. He enjoyed building and remodeling, working on computers, and listening to country music.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Iola Fowler, brothers-in-law, Milburn Fowler and Darrel Goedeken, and niece, Coleen Helstrom.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Lucile of Aurora; two sons, Wayne (Stephanne) Bengtson of Bellevue and Robert (Tamra) Bengtson of Lincoln; daughter, Lisa (Jeffrey) Rudd of Fort Collins, Colorado; nine grandchildren, Jeremiah, Brittany, Brandi, Kiera, Jarod, Alyssa and Maddie Bengtson and Kyle and Leah Rudd; four brothers, Jerrold (Mildred) Bengtson of Caldwell, Idaho, JM (Marjorie) Bengtson of York, Larry (Janice) Bengtson of Grand Island and Dale (Penny) Bengtson of Hordville; three sisters, Garnet Goedeken of Columbus, Janice (Harry) Thomas of Aurora and Dorothy (Dennis) Weeks of Omaha; sister-in-law, Eileen (Wilton) Forsman; brother-in-law Duane (Joyce) Blase and many other relatives and friends.