Earnest Kerstetter Died At Blair Monday, March 19

Earnest Kerstetter, a lifetime resident and farmer of Washington County, died March 19th at Memorial Community hospital in Blair.

He was born on a farm near Hooper, Nebraska on June 6, 1898 to Wm. A. and Alice Reber Kerstetter. At the age of six months he moved with his parents to a farm near Washington, Nebraska where he lived until 1939 when he moved to a farm south of Blair where he was residing at the time of his death.

On March 20th, 1917 he was united in marriage to Emma Stender, who died in April 1936. Two sons and one daughter blessed this union.

On October 5th, 1938 he was united in marriage to Helen Lamp Cornelius.

In 1969 he was honored with the Pioneer Shippers Award at the Omaha Stock Exchange and in 1971 he and Mrs. Kerstetter were honored with the Nebraska Pioneer Farm Award.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and three sisters.

He is survived by his widow, Helen, daughter, Mrs. Iwin Kay (Faye) of Bennington and son, Stanley Kerstetter of Kennard, Clyde of Seattle, Washington, Calvin Cornelius of Omaha, Keith Cornelius of Ponca, Nebraska and Kermit Cornelius of Northglenn, Colorado.

There are eighteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Services were held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bennington on March 21 with Pastor Norman Schroeder officiating.

Pallbearers were grandsons, Roger and Kenneth Kerstetter, Glenn and Merlin Kay, Keith and Dale Cornelius.

Burial was at the Elk City cemetery with Hadan-Golden mortuary in charge of the services.

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