Warren E. Williams

His parents, James and Oleda Williams, had a small dairy farm near Martell, Nebraska. He was the first of their five children. Growing up during the Great Depression made an indelible impression on Warren, molding many of his life values. He learned to be content with a simple life, work hard, and to appreciate the value of close relationships with family and friends.

Memories from his childhood included walking to a one-room country school, trapping skunks and other critters, and other mischievous adventures with his brother Richard and working on the family farm. Just once Warren tried to smoke alfalfa in a corn cob pipe. That wasn’t such a good idea so that was the end of that experiment! Warren had an aptitude for mechanics. He and his brother, Richard tinkered with engines and learned how to fix things themselves, a skill that would be invaluable to him later when he owned his own dairy farm.

Warren attended Lincoln High for two years where he learned to play the violin. He transferred to Crete High School to finish his high school education. His nickname was “Bear Paws” because his hands were so large! While at Crete High School, his sister Eunice introduced him to a nice country girl from Dorchester named Katherine Frew. During lunch hour these country kids played many games of ping pong and their friendship began.

In May 1942 Warren graduated from high school and that Fall he attended a vocational technical school in Kearney where he studied to be a radio technician. Though he met other girls while at the tech school, Warren appreciated his friendship with Katherine back in Crete, so he sent her a Valentine. A regular exchange of letters between the two began and their friendship grew and deepened.

In 1939, World War II began. A few years later Warren’s brother enlisted in the army after high school. Warren couldn’t let his younger brother go off to war alone so in December of 1944, he enlisted in the Army too. He served 2 years as a radio technician overseas. While overseas, he wrote many letters back to his sweetheart, Katherine.

After returning from the War, he knew he wanted to marry his high school sweetheart. On Easter Sunday, March 28, 1948, Warren and Katherine were married in Dorchester, Nebraska.

As a newlywed, Warren worked at Gooch's Mill in Lincoln. Then, like his father, he became a dairy farmer. His first dairy farm was near Martell, Nebraska and then they moved to a farm south of Hallam, Nebraska. Within a few years, the Warren Williams family grew to include six children: Janet, Byron, Nancy, Paul, Cynthia & Grace.

In 1963 the government bought the Williams’ farm near Hallam to build a dam and create a reservoir, which is where the Olive Branch Reservoir exists today. The young Warren Williams family were forced to move.

One day Warren went to a farm auction in Fillmore County and returned home to tell Katherine that he had just bought a dairy farm south of Ohiowa, Nebraska. The two-bedroom house on the new dairy farm was too small for their family of eight so, with a handshake from a trusting local banker, Fred Bruning, Warren also bought a larger home in nearby Bruning, Nebraska where his family could live and attend a larger school. In the Fall of 1962, the Warren Williams family moved into the house in Bruning and set up the Dairy farm south of Ohiowa. For over 40 years, the cows needed to be milked so no matter the weather, twice every day Warren would drive 10 miles from Bruning to the dairy farm and back again at day's end. He farmed there until he retired from dairying in 2001.

In 1968 George Burgan came to live and work on the Williams Dairy farm. Warren & Katherine became his guardians, and George became a member of the Williams family and an invaluable helper on the farm. After Katherine passed away in 2001, Warren continued caring for George until his death in 2009.

He always had a great heart for people. Over the years many individuals and families lived and worked on the Williams Dairy alongside Warren & George. They learned that Warren was a hard worker, yet a very generous man who would do what he thought best to help others grow toward a better life.

In addition to being a very successful farmer, he was active in 4-H, Farm Bureau, the Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, and other community groups.

Warren loved music. As a boy he learned how to play the violin and throughout his life he watched every episode of Lawrence Welk more than once, enjoying them each time as much as the first time he watched them.

Warren appreciated the value of a good education. It was so important to him that he made sure all 6 of his children could attend college. Although farming was his occupation, he encouraged his children to pursue their own dreams, even if it meant that the Williams family Dairy farm would not be passed down to the next generation.

The values he imparted to all he cared about were: work hard, get your education, attend church regularly, and don’t drink or don’t smoke. These are some of the values he passed on to his children and grandchildren.

Someone once described Warren as being gregarious which means sociable or fond of company. That was the perfect description of him. He needed to be around people. He had the special ability to walk into a room of strangers and strike up a conversation with just about anyone. After George passed away in 2009 and he was really alone for the first time in 50 years. During the later years of his life, he enjoyed the company of two special friends, Anna Marie Bliss and Norma Richards. They were good companions and encouraged him greatly in his later years.

After doctoring animals on his farm for many years and then eventually developing some health issues of his own, Warren developed a fascination with medicine. He would study health publications and was quick to suggest cures for anyone’s ailments, often sending medical literature about his recommended treatments for them. Though his suggested remedies occasionally varied, there was just about no health issue that triple antibiotic ointment couldn’t fix!

Warren was a great people watcher. After seeing someone dressed in an unusual fashion or behaving in an unusual manner, he would often comment, “They just want to get attention.” Sometimes he was right about that.

Warren always enjoyed going out for a meal and a friendly visit. In his retirement years, he regularly visited the elderly and shut-in, hoping to brighten their day and just to let them know that someone out there cared about them.

Children always held a special place in Warren's hearts. He would pick up his young grandchildren and balance them on his knee as he told them funny little stories about his life growing up or little critters he had encountered in his life or nuzzle his bristly whiskered face into their necks, making them giggle & squeal. He was a good story-teller and had many funny stories to share. Even in his last days, his face would brighten and his countenance would rise whenever his grandchildren and great grandchildren came to visit. As the grandchildren grew, he would impart valuable wisdom and guidance for their lives.

Warren also enjoyed traveling whenever he got the chance, usually to visit a family member. After the children grew up and moved away from Bruning, Warren and Katherine made many trips around the United States to visit their children and grandchildren, even going as far as Egypt and Germany several times to visit Nancy & Randy. Warren always said the driving was a way of relaxing for him, though in later years, it terrified some of his family and friends. At age 95, after his third attempt, he passed his driver’s test so as far as he was concerned, he was still good to keep driving! If Warren had a guardian angel, he surely kept that angel busy when Warren was driving.

As we reflect back on Warren’s life of nearly 99 years, he lived a good, long life. There were plenty of difficulties and hard times yet he persevered. His life was truly a portrait of hard work, commitment, endurance, faith and love. He touched the lives of many people and he will be greatly missed.

Warren is preceded in death by his parents, James and Oleda Williams, two brothers, Clifford and Richard Williams, sister and brother-in-law, Eunice Gloor & Alvin Gloor, wife Katherine, and two grandsons, Jay Hofer and Daron Williams.

He is survived by his 6 children, Janet (Dennis) Hofer, Byron (Anita) Williams, Nancy (Randy) Capp, Paul (Cindy) Williams, Cynthia Williams and Grace (Ed) LaHatt 16 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren. Sister Vivian Block (Don), sister-in-laws Dorothy Williams, & Dody Williams.

Visitation on Monday, August 7, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. with services being held on Tuesday, August 8th at Lincoln Memorial funeral home at 10:00 am. Pastor Jeff Slater officiating. Interment at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. A memorial will be held in Bruning, at a later date.

Serving as pallbearers are Jill Trucke, Julie Robertson, Luke Hofer, Ann Chen, Kevin Williams, Colin Williams, Christopher Capp, Stephanie Kreft , Kristin McGregor, Ashley Schantell, Carly Bahramzad , Kelsey Williams, Matthew LaHatt, Ben LaHatt, Jeffrey LaHatt and William LaHatt.

Contributions in Warren's memory may be made to Milford Trade School or Daron Williams Scholarship Fund. In Memory of Warren Williams - UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation | UW-La Crosse (tap link under donations)