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Magnuson, Kenneth Lane Age 80 Kenneth Lane Magnuson, born on April 14, 1939 in North Platte, NE, passed away peacefully in his home in Lander, WY, on Feb. 18, 2020 after a brief illness. Kenny was the first son of Bernice (Miller) Magnuson and Virgil "Swede" Magnuson of Stapleton, NE, where he spent his first 18 years along with his younger brother Rodney. Kenny was well known in his hometown as an exceptional athlete, lettering in track and field, basketball and football. In a time before weight rooms, he built up his strength bailing hay in the summertime on ranches in the Sand Hills. He helmed the Stapleton Broncos as its quarterback, earning all-state honors. He went on to play football at McCook Junior College, where he switched to running back and played under the legendary coach Merle Confer, while also serving in the Nebraska State Guard. After graduating from McCook, he moved to Omaha and began a career in sales. It was at a furniture store on 72nd Street where he met his first wife, Julia Ann Justus, as she was shopping for a new chair. The couple gained some notoriety when an apartment they were residing in caught fire in the middle of the night. Kenny and Julie were credited with saving several neighbors by knocking on doors and alerting them to the danger. The marriage produced two children, Stewart and Teresa, but ended in divorce. Kenny worked at Brandies and later World Radio before striking out on his own as a factory representative, traveling Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa selling such brands as Sharp and Panasonic to retailers in an era when small town stores were still thriving. An avid Nebraska Cornhusker football fan, he turned his own athletic prowess to golf. He was a longtime member of the Omaha Field Club, where he supplemented his income by allowing fellow duffers to bet against him. However, he rarely lost. He was also an exceptional fisherman and hunter. He married his second wife, Mary, in 1994 and the couple lived briefly in her hometown Council Bluffs, IA, before Ken retired in 1996 and the couple moved to Lander, WY. He spent his free time fly fishing in the mountains and hunting for fossils and arrowheads in the desert with a series of golden retrievers as companions, while embracing the new way of doing business: selling custom fly rods and parts on eBay, and trading stocks online. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernice and Swede; and younger brother, Rodney; and sister-in-law, Sharon Magnuson of North Platte. Survivors include his wife, Mary Magnuson of Lander, WY; Stew Magnuson and daughter-in-law, Nioucha Homayoonfar of Arlington, VA; daughter, Teresa Magnuson of Omaha; grandchildren, Amber Donley of Papillion, NE; Sophia and Sawyer Magnuson of Arlington; and great-grandchildren, Aubrey Donley, Trevor Donley and Emmitt Donley of Papillion; and nephews, Darin Magnuson of Kenesaw, NE; Duane Magnuson of Topeka, KS; and niece, Christine Aufrecht of North Platte.

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