Deklavs, Valdemars Juris "Val" Aug 13, 1923 - Nov 1, 2014 Survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Aigars and Terrie of Blair, Maris and Joyce of Blair; daughters and sons-in-law, Daina and Kirby Wendt of Blair, Inese and Brian Klanderud of Blair, Baiba and Bill Cunard of Missouri Valley, IA, Andra Kriesemint and friend Tom Anderson of Chicago, IL; 16 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.

FUNERAL SERVICES 10am Friday November 7, 2014 at Country Bible Church in Blair. Interment will follow services in the Blair Cemetery. VISITATION will be held Thursday November 6, beginning at 3pm with family receiving friends from 6-8pm at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair. CAMPBELL-AMAN FUNERAL HOME 444 S. 17th Blair, NE 402-426-2191 www.campbellaman.com

Posted on line: Monday, November 3, 2014; Published in The Pilot Tribune, Tuesday, November 4, 2014

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Valdemars ‘Val’ Juris Deklavs, 91

Valdemars “Val” Juris Deklavs, 91, of Blair, died Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Blair.

Services will be 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at Country Bible Church. Interment will follow services in the Blair Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday with family receiving friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at Campbell-Aman Funeral Home in Blair. Valdemars Juris Deklavs was born Aug. 13, 1923, in Aizpute, Latvia, to Nikolajs and Ieva (Krause) Deklavs. Valdemars was 8 years of age when his father passed away. His mother, Ieva, then married Robert Balodis.

Valdemars met his wife, Dzidra, at a Latvian transition camp in Germany and they were married on June 23, 1947. They bore two of their children there: Aigars and Daina.

After immigrating to the United States in November of 1951, they made their new home in Blair, where they added four more children, Inese, Baiba, Andra and Maris.

Along with his stepfather, he was employed at Cudahy Meatpacking for several years while they also did some beekeeping.

When Cudahy closed, Valdemars continued his beekeeping business that grew to 6,000 bee colonies. His entire family helped with the business along with numerous other members of the community.

Val will be remembered as a very hard-working man dedicated to his family. His passion for beekeeping dwindled after the passing of his beloved wife, Dzidra, in 2008.

He is survived by sons and daughters-in-law: Aigars and Terrie of Blair and Maris and Joyce of Blair; daughters and sons-in-law: Daina and Kirby Wendt of Blair, Inese and Brian Klanderud of Blair, Baiba and Bill Cunard of Missouri Valley, Iowa, and Andra Kriesemint and friend Tom Anderson of Chicago, Ill.; 16 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. www.campbellaman.com

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