Gerhardt 'Butch' Beckman

VisitationTuesday, November 21, 2006 after 3:00 PM Ohde Funeral Home, ManningRosary 4:00 PMPrayer Service 7:00 PM

Mass of Christian BurialWednesday, November 22, 20062:00 PMSacred Heart Church, Manning

IntermentSacred Heart Cemetery, Manning

     Gerhardt Louis Butch?, son of John and Amelia (Selting) Beckman, was born September 24, 1918, at Elgin, Nebraska. He lived on the farm and attended Ravil country school. Butch left home during the depression to work on a ranch in Colorado, however, he did finish his GED while in the military.           Butch moved to Carroll County to do farming work, and there he met his future wife. He and Alvina Tigges were united in marriage on November 13, 1940, at St. Marys Catholic Church in Willey, Iowa. The couple moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, for the factory work available there. Butch was drafted into the United States Army in 1942 and served as a diesel mechanic in the South Pacific. He was discharged in 1945 and the couple lived in Carroll, where he worked as a mechanic for John Deere. They moved to Manning in 1947, and Butch worked for Puck Implement, as well as Hawkeye Diesel Service, for 53 years. He transitioned to part-time work which he continued through 2000.      Butch loved to fish and travel to visit family. He enjoyed helping his grandchildren with their farming and playing Bingo with Alvina. He rarely missed morning coffee with his buddies.      Butch was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Manning. He was active in the VFW in Manning and the Knights of Columbus.      For the past several months Butch had been battling illness. He died on Sunday, November 19, 2006, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 88 years, 1 month and 27 days.       He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers Joe and Ben Beckman; sister Theresa Bode; daughter-in-law Cheryl Koenig Beckman; and sons-in-law Larry Dopheide and Fred Eischeid.      Butch is survived by his wife Alvina Beckman of Manning; children Shirley Eischeid of Carroll; Lois and husband Gene Roth of Omaha, NE; Gene Beckman and wife Marlene of Omaha, NE; John Beckman and wife Sharon of Council Bluffs; 22 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; three sisters: Kay Anderson of Dallas, TX; Freida and husband Lyle Bickley of Madison, NE; and Phil Vacha of Madison, NE; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.