Arnold (Hank) Ostdiek, longtime Bridgeport resident, passed away Sept. 3, 2026, at Lincoln, NE, at the age of 95. As were his wishes, cremation has been performed.

Funeral services will be Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 1940 S. 77th St. in Lincoln. Burial will take place at a later date in Oregon Trail Memorial Park Cemetery at Bridgeport, NE.

Hank was born Feb. 8, 1931, on a farm near Lawrence, NE, to Henry and Dora (Rempe) Ostdiek. He grew up on family farms in the Lawrence and St. Stephens communities, one of 10 siblings. The family persevered through the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s, passing on stories about the challenges they faced and also the fun times. Growing up, Hank learned the art of woodworking and carpentry from his father. He, his father and several brothers took on construction jobs in the area, including building a number of barns.

After graduating from Lawrence High School in 1949 he attended the University of Nebraska, majoring in industrial arts. He played football for the Cornhuskers as a freshman until he was injured. At NU he entered the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), and upon graduating in 1953 was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. During his tour of duty, he taught classes in ammunition and ballistics to officers at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He left active duty in 1955 at the rank of first lieutenant.

While in college, he met Janet Selden of Lincoln, and on Nov. 28, 1953, they were married at Lincoln, NE, after Hank managed to get leave from the Army and drive cross-country from Maryland. She preceded him in death in 1999 after 46 years of marriage.

After leaving active duty, Hank spent his career in education, first as an industrial arts teacher at Lawrence, then as superintendent of schools at Platte Center, NE (1959-61), Brainard, NE (1961-67), and Bridgeport, NE (1967-75). During that time, he received a master’s degree in education administration and an education specialist degree from the University of Nebraska.

He also served in the army reserves until about 1963, attaining the rank of captain. Hank was the first superintendent of Brainard East Butler School District after the district had been created from the consolidation of 17 rural and village districts. He oversaw the establishment of high-school wrestling programs at both East Butler and Bridgeport high schools. Later, he was the event announcer for many years for the annual wrestling tournaments at Bridgeport and Banner County.The Nebraska School Activities Association later recognized him for his contributions to high-school wrestling.

After leaving school administration in 1975 he worked in sales for several years before returning to education, teaching industrial arts at Banner County Schools from 1979-96.Then he delayed his planned retirement for a year to fill a last-minute teaching vacancy at Bluffs Middle School in Scottsbluff.

Beginning in 1987 he spent summer breaks working for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, performing maintenance and small construction projects at Bridgeport State Recreation Area, Oliver Reservoir, andWildcat Hills State Recreation Area. Some of the projects included building display cabinetry at the Wildcat Hills nature center and restoring stone picnic shelters built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. He also built cabinetry for a new display at Fort Robinson State Park.

Hank was known for his cooking prowess. Not only did he prepare dishes from the family tradition such as liver sausage and pork roast and sauerkraut, but also was adventurous in developing new recipes, placing second in the 1985 Nebraska Beef Cook-Off with his Oriental Steak Almondine recipe.

In 2023, as age brought new health challenges, Hank moved from his longtime home at Bridgeport to Lincoln, where he could receive care from his son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Deb Ostdiek.

He was a member of All Souls Catholic Church at Bridgeport for more than 50 years, and also the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion.

Survivors: sons Steve (Leisa) of Festus, MO, Dave (Tammie) of Longmont, CO, Don of Sugar Land,TX, Jim (Deb) of Lincoln, and Jerry (Ginny) of Gering; 15 grandchildren (Jennifer Grissom, Paul Ostdiek, Peter Ostdiek (Beth), Amy Ostdiek (Scott Macdonald),Tim Ostdiek (Jenny), Adam Ostdiek (Sierra), Andrew Ostdiek, Bennett Ostdiek, Jacob Ostdiek,William Ostdiek, Anthony Ostdiek (Tess), John Ostdiek (Kendrah), Josh Swanson (Kelly), Emily Ostdiek, and Jackson Ostdiek (Rylee Robinson); 16 great-grandchildren; and sisters and brothers Anita Conway of Lincoln, Fr. Gil Ostdiek of Chicago, Jovita Schneider of Liberty, IL, and Clara Lou Bricher of Salem, OR.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Janet; son Dean; parents Henry and Dora Ostdiek; and brothers and sisters Fr. John Ostdiek, Mildred Herz, Sr. Lenore Ostdiek, Fritz Ostdiek, and Art Ostdiek.