Obituaries

Willis Gene Ott, 90, passed into the loving arms of Jesus, February 23, 2022, in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

Rodney Lee Hecker, 68, passed away on Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Bridgeport, Nebraska with his wife, Deb, by his side. Rodney was born September 29, 1953, in Sidney, Nebraska, to Paul ‘Sonny’ and Gwendolyn Hecker. Around age 4 they moved to California where he travelled along the coast with his dad, playing the guitar with his brother Ron for Me and Ed’s Pizza Parlors. After a short stint in California they moved to Colorado, and then settled back in Sidney. Rodney graduated from Sydney High School in 1971 and was a star athlete. As an adult he was creative and inventive, a carver, a master craftsman, a welder, and a home builder, to name a few of his many talents. During his time in Gulfport, Mississippi, he built yachts, custom cabinetry, and race cars. He loved riding motorcycles, diving, fishing, the beach, cooking, caring for animals, converting flea market finds into valuable treasures, playing the guitar, and fixing up old cars. He never met a stranger, wore his heart on his sleeve, and was not afraid to show his emotions.

Charlene M. Pelster, 78, of Dalton, Nebraska, passed away in Greeley, Colorado, on Monday, March 7, 2022. A Mass Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 18, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dalton with Father Tim Stoner officiating. Burial will take place in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Dalton. Services will be recorded and available on the website. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Charlene’s name to High Plains Paw, PO Box 592, Sidney, NE, 69162 or Festival of Hope, PO Box 377, Scottsbluff, NE, 69363. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Thursday, March 17, for the viewing from 1-6:00 p.m.