Obituaries

Bernard J. Miles, 93, of Valentine, NE, passed away on March 7, 2026, in Omaha, NE. Bernard was born on January 10, 1933, the youngest of six children born to Austin P. and Mae (Lester) Miles in a sod house two miles northeast of Brownlee, NE.

Kenneth Ruben Porath, 72, of Dannebrog, died on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Grand Island Regional Medical Center in Grand Island. Kenneth Ruben Porath was born on July 4, 1953 to Ruben and Betty (Bonge) Porath.

Mary Lou Lamoureaux was born May 20, 1935 near Chadron, NE to Harry and Elizabeth Combs. She attended grades one through nine in Chadron, then began grade ten in Valentine, graduating from Valentine High School in 1952.

Gary Wayne Stoeger was born February 18, 1960 to Robert Sr. and Norma (Brown) Stoeger in Valentine, NE. He joined older sister, Karen and older brother, Robert Jr., younger brothers Mark, Doug, and David followed.

Eugene Darrel Parkhurst was born on April 22, 1951, in Gordon, NE, to Darell and Colleen (Knudsen) Parkhurst. He was the oldest of five children.

Eugene “Gene” Wilber Lurz was born August 28, 1941, to Herbert and Ida (Schultz) Lurz, in Valentine, NE. He grew up near and attended elementary school in Crookston, NE. Gene graduated from Valentine High School in 1959.

Thomas Lee Simons entered the world on February 15, 1950, the second son of Waldo and Nadine (Strahan) Simons. He joined his older brother Patrick. His brother Gregory joined the family 17 months later. His sister Peggy joined them nine years after that. Tom grew up in Sparks, NE where he attended grade school through the sixth grade. After that, Nadine and the children lived in Valentine during the school year, going to the country on weekends and summers, while the boys attended high school. Tom graduated from Valentine High School in 1968.

Kathleen Ann Cady, 76, of Yuma, AZ and formerly of Valentine, NE, passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026 at Surprise, AZ. Kathy is survived by her husband, Gary Cady of Yuma, and son, Kenneth Cady of Kearney, NE.

Irvin Orlando Sallette Sr. was born to Freddie and Gail Harris Sallette on October 27, 1969, in Macon, GA.

Thomas “Tom” Dean Witt passed away unexpectedly on January 22, 2026, in Lincoln, NE after suffering a heart attack while at home. Born March 21, 1947, in Alliance, NE to Woodrow “Woody” and Opal (Hardy) Witt, Tom grew up in Thedford with his younger brother Jim, graduating from Thomas County High School in 1965. During his cherished high school years, Tom played football and spent summers working on ranches, gaining many valuable life skills.