Gaylord Velte was born on Aug. 18, 1913 at Eustis, NE. He was the youngest of six children born to Carl J. and Myrtle Rice Velte. Gaylord grew up in the Farnam, NE area where he attended school and graduated from Farnam High School.

He moved to the Grant, NE area as a young man where he began helping with work on the Peter Brown farmstead. This is where he met Peter's daughter, Ruth Brown, and they were eventually married on March 18, 1938.

They made their farm home northwest of Grant for 48 years. Ruth died in 1986 and Gaylord continued to make his home on the farm until moving to Westview Retirement Community in Grant where he lived for five years.

He moved to Aurora, Colo., where he lived with his daughter and her family for the past six years. Gaylord had been failing in health and died at the Greunke home in Aurora on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007. He had reached the age of 93.

Gaylord was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church. He had also served on the Perkins County High School board of education, and Grant Co-op board of directors.

He loved people and could talk to anyone at any time. With his friends, Gaylord enjoyed bowling, golfing, hunting, fishing, and shooting pool. He provided love and joy for his daughters growing up through a variety of activities such as sledding, riding motorized vehicles powered by a rototiller, swimming in a hand-dug pool, hitting golf balls into the pasture, and rafting on the pond. Gaylord invented unique games and toys for his grandchildren and other children who visited the farm. He taught his grandchildren to fish and inspired in them a lasting love for the sport. In his later years he observed nature in parks near his home, often exploring off the beaten path.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, an infant daughter, Linda, one grandson, Michael Greunke; his brother Harold Velte and his four sisters, Florence Spearman, Helen Farmer, Anna Miller-Prestigard, and Gladys Gaibler.

Gaylord is survived by three daughters, Carol and husband Harold Tickle of Alexandria, Va., Anna Lee and husband Leo Greunke of Aurora, Colo., and Louetta and husband Burle Gengenbach of Roseville, Minn., six grandchildren, Kelly and Steve Quam, David and wife Uta Greunke, Russell Tickle, Alan Gengenbach, Tara and husband Doug Holm, and LeAnn and husband Don Sisson; four great-grandchildren; in-laws from the Brown family-Katheryn, Tom and wife Mildred, and Howard and wife Phyllis Brown; many other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Trinity Lutheran Church north of Grant with Pastor Wayne Pick officiating. Visitation will be Friday at Bullock-Long Funeral Home.

Burial will be in the Grant Cemetery. A memorial has been established.

Bullock-Long Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Personal collection of Estella (Jackson) Schurr Tillotson