William "Bill" Prellwitz
Visitation: Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home 2801 SW Urish Road Topeka, KS 66614 Service: Friday, March 22, 2013 10:00 AM Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church 2014 NW 46th St Topeka, KS 66618 Special Services: Saturday, March 23, 2012: A second viewing will be from noon to 1 p.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 807 F Street, Fairbury NE 68352. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1 p.m. at the Church.	VIEW/SEND CONDOLENCES
William C. “Bill” Prellwitz, 88, Topeka, passed away Sunday, March 17, 2013. He was one of ten children born to Julius and Mary Nutsch Prellwitz in Mahaska, Kansas on August 31, 1924. He graduated from Morrowville High School in 1943. Bill then entered the US Army in July of 1944 and rose to the rank of Sgt. and was assigned to the 232nd Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Rainbow Division. He was wounded at Wuerzburg and recovered at the 58th General Hospital in France. He then returned to his unit in Salzburg, Austria where he was part of a contingent responsible for guarding 7,000 to 8,000 war criminals. He was discharged in August of 1946. While serving his country in Germany he was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, and World War II Honorable Service Pin. Bill married Orle Wells on August 17, 1946. She preceded him in death in January 1979. Bill farmed for a few years in Mahaska and Morrowville KS and then moved to Topeka in 1956, where he was then employed at Dupont for 27 years before retiring. He then went to work for Hayden Tower Service as shop foreman, retiring in 2009 at the age of 85. Bill was a founding member of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church and previously a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Topeka. He also held membership in the Knights of Columbus, Council #534, the Disabled Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Post 400. Bill is survived by three children, daughter, Joy of San Antonio; sons, Bob (Maggie) of Topeka and Mark (Cindy) of Topeka. He also leaves four grandchildren, Christy, Jason, PJ and Matt; five great-grandchildren, Mali, Maci, Maya, Kalen and Ryker; and seven brothers and sisters, Paul, Fred, LeRoy, Lucy, Marge, Dorothy and Pat. Preceding him in death were his parents, Julius and Mary, his brother, Len, and sister, Josephine, as well as his wife, Orle. Viewing will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Rd, Topeka KS 66614, where a parish rosary will be prayed at 8 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church, 2014 NW 46th Street, Topeka KS 66618. Saturday, March 23, 2013, a second viewing will be from noon to 1 p.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 807 F Street, Fairbury KS 68352. Mass of Christian Burial will then be celebrated at 1 p.m. at the Church. Interment will follow in St. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Morrowville KS. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Assoc. or to Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church, sent in care of the funeral home

Dean Elizabeth Pierce

Former Gibbon resident, 89

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Deane Elizabeth Pierce, 89, of Colorado Springs, formerly of Gibbon, Neb., died Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, at her home.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home - Miller Godberson Chapel in Gibbon with the Rev. Matt Wolfe officiating. Burial will be at Fairbury (Neb.) Cemetery.

Visitat ion will be from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at the chapel in Gibbon.

She was born July 5, 1923, in Thompson, Neb., to Eddie and Salora (Church) Zierenberg.

On Jan. 20, 1946, she married V.J. "Johnny" Pierce. He preceded her in death.

Survivors include her son, Eddie Pierce and his wife, Jane, of Minden, Neb.; daughter, Jan Michalak and her husband, Chuck, of Colorado Springs; sister, Evelyn Priefert of Lincoln, Neb.; granddaughters, Nikki Podhaisky of Henderson, Nev., and Sarah Michalak of Boulder; grandson, Chuck Pierce of Seattle; great-granddaughters, Alicia Podhaisky of Honolulu and Erin Podhaisky of Rochester, N.Y.; nieces, Kathy Huff and Mary Dowell; and nephew, Tom Priefert.

She received her education at Fairbury High School. Following her graduation, Deane worked at a creamery in Fairbury at the start of World War II . She went on to work in accounting and later taught at a country school for one year.

She and her husband farmed near Reynolds, Neb., before moving in 1968 to Gibbon where they continued to farm.

Deane loved her friends, including Margaret Triplett of Gibbon. She was a longtime member of the Sunshine Club. Deane was an avid reader and loved to bake. She had a fondness for cats, but loved all animals. She will be missed by all.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Dennis Pierce.

Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation.

Visi t www.osrfh.com to submit online condolences or personal reflections.

Published in Kearney Hub on November 16, 2012