THURBER, Winton E.

Winton Elmore Thurber, 79, of Axtell passed away on September 10, 2010 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. Born on December 11, 1930 to Myles and Ethel Thurber, he had four brothers and three sisters. Winton graduated from O' Fallons High School in 1948 and Luther Junior College in Wahoo in 1953. As a youth, he worked on farms in western Nebraska. He later worked in college admissions for Luther College, Carthage College, California Lutheran, and Golden Valley Lutheran College. He was married to Mary Nelson in 1964 in Escanaba, MI. They had two sons, Timothy and Matthew. Mary passed away in 1981. He then married Lois Anderson, a teacher in Newman Grove, in 1984 in Axtell, NE. The couple moved to Hershey four years later and has lived in Axtell for several years. He is survived by his wife Lois; sons Timothy and wife Allison of Richmond, VA and Matthew and wife Kristen of Minneapolis, MN; siblings Wanda Boggs of Rio Rancho, NM, Delores Larson (Alton) Bismarck, ND, James Thurber (Cathy) of Hillsboro, OR, Ronnie Thurber (Sandi) of Ringgold, GA, Linda Kuenle (Phil) of Thedford, NE, Nancy Johnson (Leo) of Westminister, CO and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary and brother Marvin. Winton greatly enjoyed sports. He was an avid fan of Nebraska Cornhusker football, the Green Bay Packers, and the Chicago White Sox. A devout Lutheran, he was involved in various church activities throughout his life. He loved following current events through newspapers and magazines. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Axtell with Rev. David Evenson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held at Layton-Craig Funeral Home in Minden on Monday from 3-5 p. m. and 7-8 p. m. Memorials preferred to Bethany Lutheran Church of Axtell, NE or Maria Lutheran Church of Hershey, NE.