Virgil Leroy Towne

  Notater:

Nekrolog:
Virgil Leroy Towne, 101, departed this life Aug. 13, 2018, at Senior Living Choices, Curtis.
Virgil was born to William Edmund and Jessie Jane (Barry) Towne on June 2, 1917, at the Barry Ranch in southern Lincoln County. Around 1922, the family moved to their new farm on Brushy Creek between Maywood and Curtis. Virgil attended the Viaduct School until eighth grade.
He farmed with his father and older brothers for a couple of years until he struck out on his own. He spent the summer of 1936 ranching for Swiggart in Grant County. After that, he and his brother, Lawrence, started farming together in Frontier County.
When the war came, Virgil was in the second draft and ended up in the 159th Infantry. From April 1942 until September 1944, he was stationed at Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. His unit was pulled from Alaska to be transferred to Europe as replacement troops, and he arrived in France in March 1945. Fortunately, the war was ending, so he was involved in guarding German prisoners of war. He returned to New York City on Nov. 3, 1945, and was discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on Nov. 9, 1945. He earned the Expert Infantry Badge, the Good Conduct Medal and was issued the Honorable Service lapel button. Virgil was a 60-year member of the American Legion, Carl Heath Post 95, Curtis.
He returned to the Maywood and Curtis area and resumed farming with Lawrence. Over the years, the two brothers farmed at various locations in Frontier County until they could begin purchasing their own land. By 1970, they included their brother, Leland, in the farming operation. They farmed until 2013 when Virgil was 96 and age got the better of them. They stopped actively farming and leased their operation.
On Feb. 22, 1967, Virgil and Edna (Davis) Christensen ran off to Burlington, Colorado, to get married. That was Washington's birthday, so the courthouse was closed. Edna and Virgil had to spend the night with JoAnn. JoAnn had raised her daughter properly, so Virgil had to spend the night in a hotel until the courthouse opened on Feb. 23. They were happily married for 41 years until Edna's passing in 2008.
Virgil led a full and good life.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Rowena Burton, Verle Nelson and Georgianna Ervin; six brothers, William, Lawrence, Max, Melvin, Harold "Bees," Floyd and Leonard; and two stepdaughters, Betty (Christensen) Goldstein and Phyllis Christensen.
He is survived by two brothers, Leland of Grand Island and Harold of Louisiana, Missouri; three loving stepchildren, Roberta Christensen, JoAnn Sortore, both of Denver, Colorado, and Jim Christensen of Curtis; seven grandchildren, Michael, Jerry, and David Miller, Soren Goldstein and Ilana (Goldstein) Lutz, Kristen (Harwick) Poland and Craig Harwick; 11 great-grandchildren; and 14 nieces and nephews.

Virgil blev gift med Edna Ione Davis den 23. Feb. 1967 i Burlington, Kit Carson, Colorado, USA. (Edna Ione Davis blev født den 29. Jan. 1917 i , Cherry, Nebraska, USA, døde den 13. Jun. 2008 i North Platte, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA og blev begravet i Maywood, Frontier, Nebraska, USA.)