Willa Eileen McCaa, 86, formerly of Farnam, departed for Heaven Oct. 22, 2015, at the C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Center in Arapahoe.

She was born on May 6, 1929, on the family farm northwest of Farnam, to Henry H. and Hester (Carmen) Gewecke. Willa attended country school for her elementary education before she and her family moved to a farm northeast of Farnam, where she then attended school and ultimately graduated from Farnam High School with the class of 1947.

Following graduation she attended Kearney State Teacher’s College and taught rural schools in the Farnam and Gothenburg areas. She also worked several summers in Estes Park, Colorado, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Willa met her husband, Thomas McCaa, of Greensville, Mississippi, while working in Estes Park and they were married in September 1956 at the Methodist Church in Farnam.

Thomas was in the United States Air Force and Willa agreeably signed up for a life of travel as they spanned the globe with Thomas’ various work stations. Willa served as a substitute teacher at the various Air Force Bases they were stationed at and enjoyed fraternizing with the military wives and the military lifestyle as a whole.

In late 1963, Thomas and Willa adopted a son, Timothy Jon, while stationed in Istanbul, Turkey.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother in-law, Leon Kotschwar, of Farnam.

She is survived by her son, Timothy Jon McCaa, of La Quinta, California; sister, Muriel Kotschwar, of Farnam; nephews, Brent (Peggy) Kotschwar, of Omaha, Perry Kotschwar, of Elwood, and Bryan (Nancy) Kotschwar, of Big Springs; niece, Lana (Nick) Cate, of Peachtree City, Georgia; many great-nephews and great-nieces; and many other relatives and friends.

Services will be at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, at Farnam Cemetery with Pastor Neil Kloppenborg officiating. There will be no viewing or visitation. Elwood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

North Platte Telegraph, 24 October 2015