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Emily J. 'Bonnie' Kuhr, 98

Emily J. "Bonnie" Kuhr, 98, of Clarkston, Mich., formerly of Blair, died Sunday, December 30, 2012.

Services will be 12:30 p.m. Saturday, January 5, 2013, at the Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home in Clarkston, Mich. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Mrs. Kuhr will be cremated and interment will be in the Blair Cemetery at a later date.

Emily J. “Bonnie” Spanggaard was born May 19, 1914, in Omaha, to Christian and Petra (Jensen) Spanggaard. She grew up on a dairy farm just north of what is now the Eppley airport in Omaha. She graduated from North High School in Omaha and from the University of Nebraska in 1936 with a degree in home economics.

She was a great supporter of the University and was honored in the 1960s with a Distinguished Service Award from there. She gave much of the credit for her being able to attend the University to a special high school teacher who taught her that she could achieve anything she wanted. She paid her way through college by working in the dormitory dining room.

On February 14, 1937, she married J. Merton Kuhr.

They were a team raising their four children on the farm four miles north of Blair, attending church, leading 4-H clubs, square dancing and attending and promoting rural schools, Grange and Danish Brotherhood activities.

She also encouraged and made sure her grandchildren learned about and celebrated their Danish heritage.

Bonnie loved to keep up with what was going on in the world. In later years, she had to hold the newspaper and books close because of macular degeneration and would get close to the TV to watch the news but she never lost that interest.

She loved her family and nothing delighted her more than the July 4th family reunions at the cottage on the lake in Michigan.

The couple moved into Blair in 1979.

She lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Ray and family in Clarkston, Mich., from 2000 until her death.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Patricia and Gordon Smith of Kearney, J. Marshall and Jan Kuhr of Normangee, Texas, Georgia and Larry Hansen of Sunapee, N.H. and Emily and Ray Rath of Clarkston, Mich.; grandchildren, Jeff and Deborah Kloster, Tara Reasoner, Neal and Traela Kloster, Anne and Tim Silknitter, Mike Kuhr, Michelle Kuhr, Cori Smith, Colin Hansen, Colby Hansen, Ryan and Amy Rath and Adam and Kelly Rath; step-grandchildren, Shannon Smith and Kim Smith; 22 great-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren and her dedicated care giver, Vicki.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Mert, in 2001; a brother and a great-granddaughter.

Memorials may be directed to the family.