Note: death date from cemetery records

Printed in the Thursday Feb. 11, 1954 Enterprise, Blair, Nebraska

Ed Gilbertson Died Monday At Lincoln

Well Known Farmer Built Show Place Near Blair.

Edwin Gilbertson, former Blair farmer who was well known here, passed away Tuesday (?) at the Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln. His death followed a paralytic stroke suffered seven years ago while still living here, an illness from which he was never able to rally, and which kept him bedfast most of the time for the past two and one-half years. He had been at the hospital five days prior to his death.

Ed Gilbertson was born June 11, 1876 on a farm in the Rose Hill district northwest of Blair. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gilbertson who are remembered by many of the older generation of the Rose Hill district. He grew to manhood on the family farm there. He was one of eight children.

On September 16, 1903 he was married to Miss Esther Jensen and the couple devoted their lives to farming. For ten years they farmed in the Rose Hill district and then moved to a farm near Blair, just north of Dana College.

The lived for seven years in a brick house which was then located east of the Dana College campus, the present Dana athletic field having been a part of the Gilbertson farm. After selling the land and house to Dana College, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbertson built a new set of farm buildings just north of the college which became a show place on the road between Blair and Herman. They continued to live their until Mr. Gilbertson’s stroke in 1947. Michael Sonderups now occupy the farm.

An ardent Democrat, Mr. Gilbertson was keenly interested in politics, and he took an active part in most of the elections during his younger years.

In May, 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbertson moved to Lincoln to make their home.

Besides his wife, Mr. Gilbertson is survived by his four children. There are two sons, Lyle of Los Angeles, California; Kenneth of Syracuse, New York; Mrs. Charlotte Wilson, of Omaha and Mrs. Myrtle Kennel, of Lincoln. There are also eight grandchildren. Two sisters, Mrs. H.B. Marshall, of Burnsville, West Virginia and Mrs. Charles Daffer, of Zenith, Washington, are survivors along with a brother, Fred Gilbertson, of Omaha. A brother, Oscar Gilbertson, a former Blair merchant, preceded him in death.

Funeral services are being held today, February 11th, at 2 P.M. at the First Lutheran Church in Blair with the Rev. H. C. Jorgensen officiating. Burial, under the direction of the Bendorf Funeral Home, will be made in the Blair cemetery.

Pallbearers will be John R. Voss, Stanley M. Jensen, J. Merton Kuhr, Paul V. Hansen, Dan Greeno, all of Blair, and Ralph Queen, of Lincoln.

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

Note: Rose Hill is in Washington County, and had a rural school in 1954

FindaGrave # 113139370