William Russell Trotter was born December 23, 1925, near Pierce, Nebraska, to William Grover Trotter and Hazel Etta (Fairchild) Trotter, as the eldest of eight children. He passed away at Oakland Heights Nursing Home on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, at the age of 99.

Russell attended country school near Pierce, Nebraska, until the family moved to Wayne County, Illinois, in 1931. He attended the Johnson Country School through the 8th Grade and attended Mount Erie High School for his freshman year, until the family returned to a farm near Herman, NE. He attended Herman High School until April 1944, when he enlisted in the Navy.

He trained and served as a radioman, radar operator, and tail gunner in a carrier-based Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. He was honorably discharged on June 9th, 1946, after the end of WWII. He graduated from Herman High School after returning from his Navy service.

Russell married Betty Jane Corbin on October 14th, 1951. They had three children: Barbara Jane, Brenda Jo and David Russell. They raised their family and lived in Herman, Nebraska, for 60 years until complications arose from his diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). In the spring of 2016, they moved to Oakland Heights Assisted Living. Russell and Betty celebrated 64 years of marriage prior to her passing in the summer of 2016.

Russell started working as an electric lineman for the Omaha Public Power District in 1948. He served as both Herman and Arlington area manager and retired in 1987 with 39 years of service.

He was a member and Past Master of the Masonic lodge in Herman, served eight years for the Village of Herman board, was a 20-year member and past Secretary of the Herman Volunteer Fire Department. He was a member of the Herman Community Club, and a lifetime member of the American Legion Post No. 274, with 79 years of continuous service. He was a member and former Elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah, Nebraska.

During his whole life, Russell was an avid fisherman, gardener, and loved to play all kinds of card games with friends and family. He and Betty enjoyed family summer vacations in Minnesota and winter breaks in Texas on the gulf shore. They also enjoyed spending time at the Chatt Senior Center in Tekamah.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and several of his younger siblings.

He is survived by his sisters: Ellen Karlin of Fremont, NE, and Alma Jensen of Cedar Bluffs, NE; sister-in-law: Alicia Trotter of Ft. Walton Beach, FL; children: Barbara (Steve) Frank of Westmoreland, KS, Brenda of Oakland, NE, and David (Sara) Trotter of Rochester, MN; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren — with one more on the way. MEMORIAL SERVICE: May 31, 2025, 10:30 a.m., at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oakland, NE.

BURIAL WITH MILITARY HONORS: Herman Cemetery

MEMORIALS: To the family for future designation

Pelan Funeral Services Jim & Danielle Pelan www.pelanfuneralservices.com

#2-Obituary courtesy of Pelan Funeral Home, Oakland, Nebraska Wm. Russell Trotter

December 23, 1925 - May 7, 2025

William Russell Trotter, 99 years, passed away Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Oakland Heights in Oakland, Nebraska.

He was a veteran.

Memorial Service 10:30am Saturday, May 31, 2025 First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 North Davis Avenue Oakland, NE 68045

Military Honors will be held at the cemetery.

Final Resting Place Herman Cemetery Herman, NE 68029

Pelan Funeral Home in service to the family.

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

FindaGrave #282441840