Carl E. Wittfoth

Funeral services for Carl E. Wittfoth will be held on Monday, March 24, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. at the Hope Lutheran Church in rural Smithfield, Nebraska with Reverend Tim Glendening and Chaplain DeWane Dow officiating. Interment will be held at Hope Lutheran Cemetery in rural Gosper County, Nebraska.

Carl Ennoch Wittfoth, 81 years of age, of Holdrege, Nebraska (formerly of Bertrand), passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege. He was born October 5, 1932, south of Hildreth in Franklin County, Nebraska, the fourth of five children born to Ennoch Carl and Minnie F. (Albers) Wittfoth. He received his education in Hildreth, graduating from Hildreth High School with the class of 1950. Following his graduation he was employed by the Axtell Public School as a custodian.

On May 16, 1952, Carl was united in marriage to Norma Lea Warnken and to this union three daughters were born: Cynthia, Pamela and Victoria. The family made their home in Axtell for a brief time until moving to Eustis, Nebraska for a year before settling to Bertrand in 1954. After moving to Bertrand, Carl was employed by Canada Oil Service Station and then went to work for Anderson's Repair. In 1961 he became the owner of Carl's Standard Service until 1964, when Carl became employed as the custodian for the Bertrand Community School from 1964 until retiring as head custodian in 1995. Through the years at the school, Carl made many friendship bonds with faculty and students that lasted his lifetime.

Carl was a member of the Hope Lutheran Church, where he was active through the years on the church council, served as an usher and involved with Lutheran Brotherhood. He was also a past member of the Elks and Eagles Club, and served on the Bertrand Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years, where he was Fire Chief for two years.

Carl and Norma loved to go dancing and enjoyed many card clubs throughout their marriage. In his spare time, Carl also loved to golf, he enjoyed keeping up with sporting events as he read cover-to-cover several newspapers daily, and most of all he loved to attend his grandchildren's activities. All who knew Carl will remember his smile.

Besides his parents, Carl was preceded in death by one son-in-law, Jim Sweeney; three sisters: Lucille Roos and her husbands, Lyle and Vern, Marcia Gewecke and her husband, Wilbur and Arlene Bergstrom and her husbands, Elgin and Orville; brother-in-law, Jim Duering; and his father-in-law, Fred Warnken.

He leaves to mourn his passing; his wife of 61 years, Norma of Holdrege; his three daughters: Cindi Junkin and her husband, Dan of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Pam Sweeney Broome and her husband, Herman Broome of Johnson Lake, Nebraska, Vicki Cissell and her husband, Rick of Loveland, Colorado; his mother-in-law, Fern Warnken of Holdrege; four grandsons: Eric Sweeney and his friend, Beth of Bristol, Rhode Island, Andrew Sweeney and his wife, Andi of Loomis, Derik Cissell and his wife, Lindsey of Johnstown, Colorado and Cory Cissell of Loveland; six great-grandchildren: Noah, Jaxson, Eden, Adele, and Brinley Sweeney, and Zoie Cissell ; one sister, Evon Willman and her husband, John of Lincoln, Nebraska; sister-in-law, Kayleen Potter and her husband, Robert of Wilcox, Nebraska; two brothers-in-law: Roger Warnken and his wife, Pam of Walnut, California and Jim Bergstrom of Holdrege; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2014 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in Carl's honor and kindly suggest to the Hope Lutheran Church, the Bertrand Fire and Rescue or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.