William L. Monke, 75

William L. Monke, 75, died May 1, 2005, at his home in Peoria, Ariz.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 9, at the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fremont. A private interment will follow.

Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Moser Memorial Chapel in Fremont.

William Luther Monke was born Feb. 8, 1930, in Fremont, to Luther and Wilmeth Monke. He had lived in Fontanelle until 1975, when he moved to Fremont. He had been spending the winters in Peoria since 1989.

Throughout his lifetime, he held many leadership roles within the seed industry and within his community. He was co-owner of Fontanelle Hybrids and co-owner of Monke Brothers Fertilizer Company. He was a charter member of the American National Bank of Fremont and served on the board of directors until 1998.

He served on the board for both Fontanelle and Arlington Schools, and was inducted into the Arlington Education Foundation Hall of Fame in 1997. He served as president of the Nebraska Seedsmen Association and was an active member of the American Seed Trade Association, the Nickerson farmers Union, the Washington County Feeders and the Nickerson Rural Fire Department. He was a active member of the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fremont and the Peace Lutheran Church in Peoria. He was a Stephen Minister and an active supporter of Habitat for Humanity.

He is survived by his wife, Helen; son and daughter-in-law, David and Sheila Monke of Nickerson; daughters and sons-in-law, Linda Kirk of Omaha, Lori Rayson of Virginia Beach, Va., Pamela and Mike Boyajian of Chandler, Ariz., Amy and Jim Taylor of O’Fallon, Ill.; 12 grandchildren; one great-grandson; brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Phyllis Monke; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Muriel and Jim Keller, and Ruth and Richard Teebken, all of Fremont.

Memorials are suggested to Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Fremont.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~