Don J. Wolinski

Joseph Edward “Don” Wolinski, 77, of Farwell, died Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, following treatment for a head injury which occurred from a fall on Nov. 14. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Farwell. The Revs. Ray Kosmicki and Tom Ryan will officiate. Burial will be in the Czechoslovakian Cemetery in Farwell, with graveside military honors by Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119 of St. Paul. Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the church, with a 4:30 p.m. vigil service. Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Wolinski was born on March 19, 1931, near Farwell, the son of Anton and Mary (Gdanitz) Wolinski. Survivors of the immediate family include his wife of 57 years, Marlene of Farwell; two sons, Dave Wolinski of Baltimore, MD and Kelly Wolinski of Lincoln; one daughter. Kim Wolinski of Longmont, CO; beloved grandson, Colton Wolinski and beloved granddaughter, Chase Wolinski, both of Lincoln; a sister, Darlene Pawloski of Omaha and numerous nieces and nephews. Don attended rural schools near Farwell and graduated from Farwell High School in 1949, where he was a member of the 1949 Class D State Basketball team. Don was united in marriage to Marlene Platek on Oct. 8, 1951, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Farwell. Drafted into the Army in July 1952, he completed his basic training in El Paso, TX, and was subsequently stationed in Camden, NJ, where he attained the rank of Corporal. After his discharge in June 1954, Don and Marlene returned to Farwell before moving to Ord, where he was employed by Petska Chevrolet as a mechanic before purchasing a tanker truck and operating a rural delivery service for Texaco. In 1960, the couple returned to Farwell where he worked as a mechanic for Lukasiewicz International Harvester. Don and Marlene lived in a farmhouse south of town until purchasing their Kilbourne Avenue home in 1961, which Don fully renovated and which remains the family home today. His career as a mechanic was ended due to back ailments, whereafter he worked for the Ordnance Plant in Grand Island before joining Bakers Life Nebraska, subsequently becoming Farwell’s rural mail carrier for 19 years prior to his retirement in 1998. Always active in the community, over the years Don served as board member of Farwell Public School, volunteer fireman and Fire Chief, and Farwell’s Mayor. He was also a lifelong member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and was a 50 year member of Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119 of St. Paul.Also an avid hunter, he loaded his own ammunition and was a 50 year member of the NRA. He loved the outdoors. Don enjoyed horses, hunting, occasional fishing and was known among peers for his lifelong pursuits as a gentleman farmer on the family’s farm south of Farwell. His greatest pleasure was impromptu drives through the countryside seeing crops grow and hillsides of contented cattle grazing. Don also loved to dance. He and Marlene were regulars at weddings and the Platt Duetsche, where the first note of “Kansas City, Here I Come” found him first to the dance floor. Don’s activities, unfortunately, were cut short in recent years. He was devastated by the onset of macular degeneration and the complications of arthritis. Don was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Ernie Wolinski, who passed away just two months ago. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Farwell Fire Department/QRT’s, National Federation of the Blind, or to the family’s choice.