Robert Dale Magill

Funeral Services for Robert D. Magill will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Nora Mendyk officiating. A private family burial will be held prior to the service at the Prairie Home Cemetery at Holdrege, with Military Honors provided by the United States Army Military Honors Team.

Robert Dale "Bob" Magill, 93 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 24, 2017, surrounded by his family, at the Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege. Bob was born February 2, 1924, on a farm, south of Holdrege, the fifth of seven children born to William and Iva (Potter) Magill. In 1928, the family moved to his great-grandfather's homestead, northeast of Holdrege, where Bob attended District 26 Magill School. As a child, he helped his father dig graves at the nearby Magill Cemetery. After attending rural schools, he attended Holdrege High School and graduated with the class of 1942.

Following his graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the Pacific Theater, as a member of the 152nd Combat Engineers. Here he served with the invasion forces of Saipan and Okinawa. Following the end of World War II, he served as part of the occupation forces of Korea until his honorable discharge in January of 1946, having attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.

During the war, his parents moved to a farm north of Loomis. Upon his return to Phelps County, he helped his parents farm and began work at Master Mart in Holdrege. In 1948, Fred Brown offered him employment at Modern Dry Cleaners, remaining there until it closed in 1976. In 1975, he began working at Becton Dickinson until his retirement in 1989.

As a young man in the Loomis community, he met his future wife when he stopped to change a tire for the daughters of Albert and Esther Swanson. Bob and Berniece began dating and they were married on June 26, 1954, at the First United Methodist Church in Holdrege. Their marriage was blessed by two children: Michael and Mary.

Bob was baptized and confirmed as a member of the First United Methodist Church in Holdrege, where he was a faithful member for over sixty years. Here the couple began attending as singles and ended as senior members, forming many bonds and friendships through the years.

Bob was an accomplished carpenter and woodworker. He was his mother's son, when it came to raising vegetables and beautiful flowers. Baseball was his sport. The couple enjoyed attending White Sox games when they fielded a farm team in Holdrege, in the 1950s. Later in life, the family enjoyed many enjoyable moments at Royal's Stadium in Kansas City. They also enjoyed vacationing together, especially autumns spent in New England. Bob was riding horses shortly after he could walk. His love of horses and dogs was evident to all and he abhorred cruelty to any animal.

He possessed a love for Holdrege and the surrounding area, having no desire to reside anywhere else. Even decades after a farmstead had vanished, he could recall who resided there, the family's history and their relationships to others in Phelps County.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Harold, Francis and Jay; two sisters, May Rocchio and Elizabeth Holen.

He leaves to celebrate his life: his wife of nearly 63 years, Berniece; daughter, Mary Magill; son, Michael Magill of Holdrege and a sister, Lucille Woodard, all of Holdrege; along with a nephew, nieces, other family and friends.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in Robert's honor and will be designated at a later date.

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 arrangements.