Melvin M. Mahrt

– Melvin M. Mahrt, 63, of Wolbach, died Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolbach. The Rev. Joseph Javorsky and Vicar Casey Lieneman will officiate. Burial will be in the Hillside Cemetery in Wolbach with flag presentation by American Legion Post 236 of Wolbach. Visitation will be Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church. Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is in charge of the arrangements. Mr. Mahrt was born on Aug. 28, 1947, at Omaha, the son of Hermann Mahrt. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; son, Bryan Mahrt and his fiancée, Jessica Tejral of Wolbach; daughters and son-in-law, Andrea and Greg Bader of St. Paul and Traci Mahrt and her fiancé, Kurt Hansen of Wolbach; step-mother, Lucille Mahrt of Grand Island; sister and brother-in-law, JoAnn and Leonard Dietz of Laramie, WY; five brothers and four sisters-in-law, Butch and Jane Spence of Atlantic, IA, Ronnie and Sharon Spence of Martell, Jerome and Patricia Mahrt of Utah, Bernard and Patricia McGonigal and Daniel McGonigal, all of Omaha; and a cousin that was like a brother, Bruce Mahrt and his wife, Eileen of Yutan. He is also survived by three grandchildren, John Mahrt, Aubry Hansen and Alex Stigge. As an infant, Melvin moved to the Wolbach area with his father. He attended District No. 57 Greeley County rural school and Wolbach Public Schools, graduating in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army from Dec. 1965 to Feb. 1966. He then returned to farm in the Wolbach area. He was united in marriage to Patricia Treat on July 5, 1969, at St. Paul. She preceded him in death on July 26, 1970. He was united in marriage to Katherine A. “Kathy” Lange on June 24, 1972, at Wolbach. The couple farmed west of Wolbach their entire married life. He was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church where he was a former church council member, a member of American Legion Post No. 236 of Wolbach, and was a former member of the Wolbach Rural Fire Department board. Melvin was known for his love of his dogs and livestock. His family came first in his life and he would do anything in the world to provide for them. He always loved to tell a good joke and wrote wonderful poetry on nights when he couldn’t sleep. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him. In addition to his first wife, Patricia, he was preceded in death by his father, Hermann Mahrt; his step-mother, Marie (Spence) Mahrt; sister, Donna Perry; brothers, Alvin Mahrt and Dr. Delmer Mahrt; and his in-laws, Carl and LaFern Lange. Memorials are suggested to the family’s choice or to Juvenile Diabetes Association.