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Stanley Gage, 91, of Fort Calhoun, died April 14, 2021, in Fort Calhoun.

Stanley was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Clara Joan Gage; sister, Edna “Sue” Frey; brothers, John and Roy Gage.

He is survived by sons, Duane (Mary) Gage, Fort Calhoun, Brian (Angie) Gage, Lincoln; daughter, Carol (Cliff) Johnson, Blair; grandchildren, Christopher Gage, Fort Calhoun, Siera (Gage) and Ron Orman, Maddie Gage, Camry Gage, all of Lincoln, America Johnson, Preston Johnson, both of Blair; brother, Peter (Corinne) Gage, Omaha.

Stanley was born on Jan. 6, 1930, to Peter Z. and Elizabeth (Mathiesen) Gage in Lyons. Stanley married Clara Joan Tietgen on Jan. 17, 1953, in Omaha. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1955. They moved to Fort Calhoun in 1956. Three children were born to this union, Duane, Brian and Carol Ann.

Stanley joined the Fort Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department in 1967. In 1970, Stanley was a founding member of the Fort Calhoun Volunteer Rescue Squad.

Stanley was a brewer at Falstaff Brewing Company in Omaha for 35 years. He then worked for Miller Brewing Company until his retirement. He was also a member of St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun.

When we lost mom, it was hard on all of us, but especially Dad. Now to lose our father, it feels like we are losing our past. Here are some thoughts about our father:

•Anytime Dad would meet someone, he would always try to find out how they were related to him or if they were related to someone he knew.

•According to Dad, if you were from Iowa, you were a good person.

•Dad must have had a good childhood. He grew up near Underwood, Iowa, and was always going to class reunions, driving by the old farm place and spoke highly of the “farming days.”

•Dad had three brothers and one sister. He loved them all. To this day, Pete, his only living sibling, kept in touch, and stayed close to our dad. Thank you, Uncle Pete, for being an amazing brother to our father!

•Dad and Mom bought their home in Fort Calhoun in 1957. He loved his home and taking care of it. He was very proud of his property and took care of it until his dying days. If there was a way, we are sure dad would still be at the house walking around and taking care of things.

•Dad worked for the Storz, Falstaff, and Miller brewing companies. Dad was a brewer for Falstaff for approximately 36 years. On our birth certificates, it states our father’s occupation as “brewer.” Not many people can list that as their occupation. He was proud to work in the beer industry and the love of beer has rubbed off on all his children!

•John Deere and Chevy were dad’s “go-to” brands. Through the years, he had many Chevy vehicles and several John Deere mowers.

•Dad volunteered for decades for the Fort Calhoun Fire and Rescue Squad. He was the founding member of the Rescue Squad in town.

•Dad adored his grandchildren and always wanted them to know he loved them.

•To this day, we still need Dad’s advice. Dad always had “ADVICE” for everything. Even though we looked for dad’s advice, and yes, sometimes it was unwanted advice, dad would not take our advice. He would ask us what we recommended, but then he would ask everyone else in town. He would take others' advice but not his children’s. It must be a Gage thing.

•Dad did not want to stop driving or to leave his beloved home. He didn’t want to give up his freedom - who could blame him? But in the end, he made the best decision.

Thanks to all who kept in touch with dad; he was very lonely after mom passed, so those of you who gave him a phone call to check in or those who stopped by to see him- he was really appreciative.

When our mom was dying, dad was an incredible caretaker to her. He genuinely loved and missed our mother greatly. We believe they are together again, and she is baking him those delicious cookies that he loved.

Rest in peace, Dad- We love you.

THERE IS NO VISITATION.

A MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL is at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at St. John The Baptist Catholic Church. Social Distancing should be observed and face masks are recommended.

INURNMENT: It's a private family burial. Military Honors conducted by Fort Calhoun American Legion Post #348.

MEMORIALS: In lieu of traditional remembrances, memorials are suggested to Fort Calhoun Fire and Rescue.

Funeral services by: Sievers-Sprick Funeral Home Fort Calhoun, NE 68023 402-468-5678 www.sieverssprickfuneralhome.com

#2-Published in the Enterprise May 7, 2021

By Cheyenne Alexis - features@enterprisepub.com

Stanley Gage was regarded as someone who always took time to get to know people.

He would constantly ask people questions to develop long lasting friendships.

The longtime Fort Calhoun resident died April 14. He was 91.

Stanley served in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1955.

Originally from Lyons, Fort Calhoun became home to Gage in 1956. He was always dedicated to his community, his son, Duane Gage said.

"He would sit down and talk to people, want to know where they're from, what they did and develop friendships," Duane said. "He just liked to talk to people."

Stanley was a charter member of the Fort Calhoun Rescue squad, and was captain for many years.

Stanley and Gordon Mallory started the rescue squad in 1970. "Stan joined the fire department, and we decided with encouragement with Blair that we should start our own rescue," Mallory said. "Stan took the first job as captain for the unit."

Originally, the squad was going to follow Blair's protocol and switch off captains every year, but after seeing Stanley doing the job so well, Mallory said they voted him as captain again, and again.

"Stan was doing an excellent job of managing and running the squad, getting the training done," he said.

Duane said his father was always proud of the rescue squad.

"It was never about the equipment — it was about the people," Duane said.

Tim Oelke and Stanley became good friends over the years, and they always visited each other's homes to chat.

"We developed a friendship, I would stop by every week," he said. "I have a large garden, and he called it 'our garden' because I would plant it and he'd eat it. A lot of times, he'd drive up, stop at the garden and pick his corn, tomatoes and whatever else.

"Later, when he wasn't able, he'd drive up to the garage and sit there and honk his horn until I'd come down and I'd pick what he wanted."

Oelke said Stanley loved to talk.

"He was very, very social," he said. "He loved to visit."

Stanley was a brewer at Falstaff Brewing Company for 35 years, and also worked for Miller Brewing Company until he retired.

Duane, who has two other siblings, Brian and Carol Ann, said Stanley always put his family first.

Duane said he remembers taking road trips in the mountains, visiting Wyoming, Colorado and other areas with the family.

Stanley also taught all his children how to swim at Dana College.

"He was always providing for us ahead of himself," Duane said.

Providing for his children also included a lot of do-it-yourself projects, including turning the attic into a bedroom and other home improvements, Duane said.

Duane said Stanley also kept in close contact with his nieces and nephews, and supported them in whatever events they were participating in.

One of Duane's favorite memories with Stanley was taking his dad to a baseball game at TD Ameritrade Park. Stanley had always taken his children to College World Series games at Rosenblatt Stadium, and Duane said he wanted to return the favor.

"He was in awe of it," Duane said. "His jaw got continuously lower."

Even after retirement, Duane said Stanley always kept up with ongoings in Fort Calhoun.

"He would go down to Rustic or the gas station to catch up on daily things," Duane said. "And he'd check out other parts of the community."

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