(veteran)

Leonard M. Wortman, 91

Leonard M. Wortman, 91, of Creighton, died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, at Creighton Area Health Services.

Funeral services were Thursday, Sept. 3, at St. Ludger Catholic Church in Creighton. Interment was in the parish cemetery.

Leonard M. Wortman was born Dec. 12, 1917, at Brunswick to John and Anna (Uhing) Wortman. He attended rural Sunnyside School in Antelope County until the fifth grade, and entered St. Ludger’s in Creighton, where he attended through the 10th grade.

On Sept. 6, 1941, he married Alma Mitchell at St Ignatius at Brunswick. The couple had four children.

He entered the United States Army in 1942, and served with the 3467th Ordinance as an automotive technician. In April of 1943, he boarded a transport ship that would take him to places as far reaching a New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, India, and eventually he disembarked in Iran. The truck company took over a truck manufacturing plant in Iran, where he helped to assemble thousands of trucks and jeeps for the Russians. By April 1945, the plant closed and the men returned to the states. At Ft. Hood, Texas, he was trained to serve in a tank recovery unit, but the war ended and the soldiers were discharged.

Mr. Wortman farmed in rural Antelope County before retiring to Creighton. Mr. and Mrs. Wortman loved to travel, and spent their winters with many friends in Brownville, Texas.

He was a member of St. Ludger Church and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He loved to talk about farming and he loved to fish and spend time with his grandchildren. He loved reminiscing about the Army days.

He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Keith and Denise, Warren and Ann, all of Creighton, daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Lee Suhr of Blair; eight grandsons; 12 great-grandchildren; Adeline Thompson of Aurora, Edith Shuckman of Lexingtonm Marcella Wiese of Omaha; sisters-in-law, Marilyn Wortman of Aurora, Margaret Wortman of Lexington, Velda Mitchell of Arizona.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Alma; an infant son, Raymond; brothers, Leo, John, Kenneth, Richard, Ed and Henry.