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Duane "Harlo" Wilcox, age 85 of Kennard, passed away March 9, 2020 in Omaha. Visitation will be held Friday, March 13 with family receiving friends from 5 to 8 PM with a prayer service at 7 PM at Campbell Aman Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 14 at 10:30 AM at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Blair. Burial will follow in the Arlington, NE Cemetery.

Harlo was born on December 21, 1934 in rural Blair the son of Harley and Eva Wilcox. He was raised on the family farm south of Blair and attended Blair high school graduating in 1952. While in high school, Harlo worked at Conrad's station. Following graduation, he began working at Holmquist Grain which later became Mathiesen Grain. Harlo worked in the same building his entire career until his retirement. On December 30, 1956 he was united in marriage to Elizabeth "Betty" Killion; to this union two children were born, Kathrine Sue and James Dean.

Harlo was a longtime member of the Kennard Fire and Rescue, was a county board supervisor, and a board member of ENOA and St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Blair.

He is survived by his children: Kathrine Sue (Mike) Johnson of Lincoln, daughter-in-law Loretta (Kelly) Steiner of Lakeland, and Roxanne Nielsen and family; eight grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; brother-in-law Neil (Lynne) Killion of Oregon; sister-in-law Mary Killion of Texas; many nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife Betty, son James and four siblings.

Memorials may be directed to the Kennard Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad or St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Blair.

#2-Published in the Omaha World Herald March 11, 2020

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Wilcox, Duane "Harlo" December 21, 1934 - March 9, 2020 Survived by children: Kathrine Sue (Mike) Johnson of Lincoln; daughter-in-law, Loretta (Kelly) Steiner of Lakeland, and Roxanne Nielsen and family; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, Neil (Lynne) Killion of Oregon; sister-in-law, Mary Killion of Texas; many nieces, nephews and friends. VISITATION: Friday, March 13, family receiving friends from 5-8pm, with Prayer Service at 7pm, at Campbell Aman Funeral Home. FUNERAL SERVICE: Saturday, March 14, at 10:30am, at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Blair. Burial following in the Arlington, NE Cemetery. Campbell Aman Funeral Home 444 S. 17th Street, Blair, NE 68008 | www.campbellaman.com

#3-Published in the Enterprise March 20, 2020

Duane “Harlo” Wilcox enjoyed helping people and serving his community.

“I think one of the things that will probably define his life was he was always looking out for people who were in need and finding ways to make it happen,” said Julie Masters, who served with Wilcox on the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging's advisory council.

Wilcox, who also served on the Washington County Board of Supervisors for 20 years, including eight years as chairman, died March 9. He was 85.

Wilcox was a former member of the Kennard Volunteer Fire Department.

“He was from Washington County. He knew a lot of the people in Kennard when we moved there. This is what they did to help the rural community and the village,” his daughter, Kathrine Johnson, said.

In his two decades on the county board, Wilcox provided stability, former board member Jeff Quist said.

“He was a steady hand,” Quist said.

Johnson said her father enjoyed helping people and wanted “to bring bigger and better things to the community.”

“He would fight for what was best,” Johnson said. “Even if it meant somebody else was going to disagree with him, he would speak very stern about how he thought things should be and why they should be that way. It wasn't just because that's what he wanted, he thought it was going to benefit everyone around there.”

Masters said Wilcox cared about the people of Washington County and with his service on the ENOA advisory council he ensured that the needs of the aging population were met.

“I appreciated that about him because I think he was somebody who did the right things for the right reasons,” she said.

Wilcox was still a member of the council at the time of his death. He was recognized by ENOA for his 12 years of service in 2018. Masters said she will miss his experience and knowledge.

“As an aging person himself, he could give us a perspective that maybe younger people might not have appreciated,” she said. He offered insight into what it meant to be an aging person and what the needs and interests could be of someone his age.”

Wilcox worked as manager of Holmquist Grain, which later became Mathiesen Grain, for years. He remained with the company even after the Mathiesens bought it.

“When we bought the business, basically all we did was farm,” Matt Mathiesen said. “When we bought this, we had no idea how the grain business worked and Harlo brought that knowledge. Being here, he had knowledge of all of that. We learned what we needed from him and then we learned a bunch of stuff together, too, as we grew.”

Mathiesen said he and Wilcox became good friends and he called him “an all-around good guy.”

“He was just a person that people liked to be around. He'd been here forever and a lot of people knew him,” Mathiesen said.

Wilcox, a Kennard resident, was in an accident in January when his vehicle was hit by a train at the main entrance to the village. Johnson said her father never recovered from his injuries.

“That accident is what had him take his journey home to heaven,” she said.

#4 Funeral Leaflet

With great sorrow, I announce the passing of Duane “Harlo” Wilcox, 25 year member of the Kennard Fire and Rescue Department and longtime Washington County Board member representing District 2. He was Washington County’s “six-million-dollar man”. More on that later.

I had the pleasure of meeting Harlo and his dear wife Betty sometime during the seventies at a Tri-Mutual Aid meeting held at the Falstaff Brewery clubhouse in Omaha. Those of you who knew Harlo and Betty can just imagine the great time we had there!

What intrigued me the most in talking to him was how resourceful his department was. He explained they had a hard time funding their rescue squad which had just been formed, and it was difficult to purchase trucks, equipment, and even fuel for them. Coming from Irvington, I had no idea how these departments struggled, as we had a large urban area we served and a splendid tax base to draw from.

Fast forward to 1988. Washington County Public Safety communications was in dire need of upgrading. The committee was headed up by Sheriff Dwain Flora. Members of the fire and rescue departments that included Harlo from Kennard, myself from Fort Calhoun, and many others, sought affordable means of fulfilling that need. In 1989, our project was completed at little or no cost to the county (thank you OPPD for the donation).

In 2001, a large-scale weather event struck the Fort Calhoun area. Fire and law enforcement could not communicate with each other due to interference on our old legacy equipment. It was time for a change.

After many meetings with City and County officials regarding our problem, in 2004 a consulting firm was hired to assess our needs at the direction of Harlo. We determined what was needed and obtained funding from grants and local dollars to build a county-wide radio system and a new 911 center. The total price tag you ask? Yep, six million dollars!

Had it not been for Harlo’s leadership, we would still be struggling to communicate from a legacy system out of a 2 position 911 center stuck in the middle of a jail. Thank you Harlo, for your service to our community!

Words of remembrance by: Phil Brazelton, Washington County Communication Captain

In Loving Memory of Duane “Harlo” Wilcox

Born December 21, 1934 Blair, Nebraska ~ Entered Into Rest March 9, 2020 Omaha, Nebraska

Funeral Service: 10:30 AM Saturday, March 14, 2020 St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Blair, Nebraska. Officiating: Mother Kim Culp. Organist: Clare Cowing. Musical Selections: “Requiem”, “Black Diamond Strings”, “Go Rest High On That Mountain”, “Where No One Stands Alone”, “More Than A Name On A Wall”, “How Great Thou Art”

Pallbearers: Jim Wilcox, Ben Wilcox, Tyler Johnson, Sherman Card, Bryce Nielsen, Brian Nielsen, Joel Hirschman

Honorary Pallbearers: Kennard Coffee Bunch, Kennard Fire and Rescue

Graveside Services: Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Nebraska

Campbell-Aman Funeral Home

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

Find a Grave Memorial #207799424