6/18/1908-3/22/1997

Harold L. “Bill” Barge, 88 of Grand Island, Nebr. died Saturday, March 22, 1997 at the Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in Hastings, Nebr.

Services are 1 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Grand Island. Rev. John Douglas is officiating. Burial will be in the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery at Grand Island.

Barge was born June 18, 1908 to Alfred and Maude (Brandow) Barge at Hoskins, Nebr. After moving several times, his family located in Herman where he attended school and graduated in 1926. He then attended the University of Nebraska until 1928.

He began working for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a telephone lineman in March, 1929. In 1935, he began working in the construction office for the phone company in Omaha and in 1940 he was transferred to the employment office.

On May 27, 1942, he entered the U. S. Army, serving as a First Lieutenant and commanding officer for a newly-formed signal company assigned to a bomb group for what is now known as Edward’s Air Force Base. He also served in Casa Blanca, French North Africa, Algeria and Sardenia. In 1945, he was transferred to Dejong, France and on March 10, 1946, he was honorably discharged.

He returned to Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Omaha at the outside plant engineering department. He was then transferred to the same department in Grand Island.

On June 21, 1947 he married Elsie Rothfuss at Grand Island.

In October 1968 they built the Fonner View Golf Course which they owned and operated until 1986, when their son and daughter-in-law took over.

He retired from the phone company in 1973.

He was a of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Leiderkranz, Grand Island Engineers Club, American Legion, Fonner View Golf Club, Telephone Pioneers Club, Elks Club, Platt-Duetsche, Masonic Lodge and Eagles Club, all of Grand Island.

Survivors are a daughter, Cathy Bredthauer, Grand Island; a son, William Barge, Grand Island, two grandchildren and a sister, Irma Tyson of Blair.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, who died in 1991.

Memorials may be given to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Apfel-Butler-Geddes Funeral Home in Grand Island is in charge of arrangements.

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