Frances Josephine Church

Mrs. Church, 91, Resident Since 1908, Dies Fri.

Mrs. Frances Josephine Church, 91, of Keeline died in the Niobrara Memorial Hospital Friday at Lusk. Funeral services were conducted from the Peet Chapel Sunday at 3:30 p.m., with the Rev. James Scott of St. George's Episcopal Church officiating. Burial was in the Lusk cemetery.

Music was provided by Mrs. Donald L. Johnson, Mrs. Robert Bramlet, Dr. Richard Collins and Robert Reichert with Mrs. Dale M. Bardo as organist.

Casket bearers were Elvin Haworth, Mick Coen, Harvey Poage, Floyd Bartos, Wilbur Wright and Robert Grove.

Frances Josephine Richtig was born June 4, 1876 on a small farm near Praque, Bohemia to James and Agnes Richtig. When five years old she and her parents settled on a farm near Schuyler, Nebr. Immigrants in those days were happy to find passage in the steerage of the ship, and her recollections of that remained all the years of her life.

With nine other children in the home, her early days were spent helping her parents care for the family.

July 24, 1905 she married Martin VanBuren Church, light and water commissioner of Schuyler. Six years later the family came to Keeline and filed on a homestead which has been her home for 59 years.

She has been a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church.

She is survived by her son, James M. Church of Millbrae, Calif.; one daughter Mrs. Minerva C. Watson of Lusk; five grandchildren; three brothers and one sister.

Her husband died previously.

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