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Obituaries
Printed in the Benkelman, NE Post, March 2000 Anna Margaret (McGinnis) Fincher WRAY, Colo.--Anna Margaret (McGinnis) Fincher was born Aug. 30, 1903, in a dugout on the McGinnis farm south and east of Laird, Colo., to George Washington and Mary Elizabeth (Edward) McGinnis. She passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2000. Anna attended the country schools near her home, Union Ridge being one of the schools. She completed her education at Wray High School, then attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where she studied education. She graduated with a teaching certificate in 1920. Anna then began teaching in small country schools in the tristate area of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. She finished her education in Greeley in 1954 with a bachelor's degree in Education. Some of the schools she taught in were Delnora, south of Akron; Alvin, north of Laird; Vernon; Parks, Neb.; North Haigler; Fred Earl; Frank Wilson; Rosencran Ranch by Laird; Reed-Wages; North Laird; Sunny Sloop, Neb.; North Willow; Cement, north of Wray; Laird High School; Lohman, south of Vernon; Vanhorn, Kan.; Fisher, and Grossclose. During the early part of the '20s and '30s Anna helped her parents make ends meet by sending her wages earned from teaching to keep the family farm going. While teaching in the Cement School, Anna met Oval Bryan Fincher. They were married Jan. 1, 1939, in Burlington, Colo. For a while Anna and Ob lived between Holyoke and Laird, Colo. They finally moved to Laird and bought a place south of Anna's birthplace in 1941. Ob and Anna helped Anna's mother farm after the death of Anna's father. Anna continued to teach until 1963 when she retired with 43 1/2 years of teaching in the tri-state area. Oval and Anna had no children but had a hand in the upbringing of many nephews, nieces and schoolchildren. They all were treated as their own. After retirement Anna helped her husband and brother manage the family farm as well as her own farm. She continued to live in her home until her health no longer permitted it. In October 1999, at the age of 96, she moved to Renotta Health Care Center in Wray. Some of Anna's memories told to her niece Edith were: As a child she loved to take her father a drink of water while he worked in the field with the horses; Anna had her money lost when the Drovers and Traders Bank of Haigler, Neb., closed its doors in the 1930s. Having to find a new place to live from the morning to evening hours of one day, Anna went to teach school in the morning and the people she boarded with were the Paul Wages family. One day Paul came down sick with cerebral meningitis. When she returned home that evening she found the home quarantined. She had to leave all her belongings and find a new place to live. One March, Anna was caught in a blizzard at a country school for the night with four children with no food nor blankets. She said the children came to school that morning in shirtsleeves and by afternoon couldn't get home. They kept the fire stoked all night. There was a Christmas party at school one year and Anna couldn't figure out who Santa Claus was. She found out some time later that it was her husband. Anna's interests in life were reading, gardening, raising cattle and reading the history of people who came to this area to live. She tried to keep up with current events and loved taking car trips to see the countryside. Her most prized memento was a lifetime teaching certificate she received for having taught 43 1/2 years in the area. Anna was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Joseph Howard, George Bryan and Samuel William McGinnis; her husband; a sister-in-law, Clara B. McGinnis, and nephews Robert Franklin McGinnis and George "Ike" W. McGinnis. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Lillie C. McGinnis; nephews: Howard Vern McGinnis and wife, Edith, of Laird, Larry Keith McGinnis and wife, Naomi, of Akron, Colo.; Herbert Dean McGinnis and wife, Loretta, of Wray, Donald G. McGinnis and wife. Connie, of Lincoln, Neb., and Ronald D. McGinnis and wife, Connie; nieces-in-law Joann McGinnis of California, Margaret and husband, Clyde Chandler, of Mesa, Ariz., Janet and husband, Jack Simmering, of Arizona, and Phyllis and husband, Howard Shafer, of Florida; many great-nephews and nieces, and great-great-nephews and nieces. Funeral services for Anna Margaret Fincher were held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at the Spellman-Schmidt Funeral Home in Wray with Pastor Jim Hoganson officiating. Elaine Ford was the organist and Irma Sloniker the soloist. Escorts were Dean and Niels Lieuranee, Calvin Freehling, Jon Harouff, Dick Bentley and Lurie Love. Interment was in the Grandview Cemetery at Wray. Arrangements were by Spellman-Schmidt Funeral Home of Wray. Printed in the Benkelman, NE Post, December 1985 Willard Augustus Forbes was born on December 25, 1890, in Milan, Missouri, and passed away at the Morgan County Hospital on December 9, 1985, at the age of 94 years, 11 months and 15 days. He was married to Permelia Ross on June 8, 1913, at Woodward, Oklahoma. They walked together hand-in-hand down through the years and were privileged to celebrate their 72nd wedding anniversary on June 8, 1985. Their early married life was spent in Oklahoma and Kansas. In 1917 they filed for a homestead in southwestern Colorado. Here they weathered the winds, drought and hardships that came with pioneer life for seven years. Leaving the homestead, they worked for different farmers and ranchers in Kansas and Nebraska until 1947 when they purchased their farm south of Eckley, Colorado. Willard truly enjoyed working the land and took great pride in his herd of black Angus cattle. Failing health forced them to sell their farm in 1964 and move to Yuma, Colorado, then later to Fort Morgan, Colorado, to be nearer family members. Willard lived a true Christian life and raised his family to respect the faith in which he believed. Hard work and adversity were no strangers to him as he struggled to provide for his family. He had an aggressive and determined spirit and labored with confidence in his labor's reward. He was not known for deeds of great renown, but for the person he was. This attributes to his wide circle of friends. Fifteen children were born to Willard and Permelia, three of whom died in infancy. The oldest son, Lewis, lost his life in 1945. Surviving him are his devoted wife, Permelia; four sons, Harold and Delbert of Fort Morgan, Colorado, Victor of Wiggins, Colorado, and Leonard of Hallsville, Missouri; seven daughters, Ruth Edwards of Burlington, Colorado, Viola France of Fort Morgan, Colorado, Ida Whittenburg of Yuma, Colorado, Lucille Edwards of Benkelman, Iona Moberly of St. Francis, Kansas, Laura Chapman of Loveland, Colorado, and Velma Grand of DeSoto, Missouri; three sisters, Martha Brown of Truman, Minnesota, Cecil Smith of Colby, Kansas, and Nora Thompson of LaSalle, Colorado; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and a host of friends. OUR DAD Far away is the day of windmills and separators, the sound of cows' hooves bumping in a stall, and the clank of buckets across corral fences. They've taken you with them and gone. We listen to an echo of your voice, and our memories spill shadows of your lanky silhouette into our minds. We hear your shoes drop one at a time and we watch you pull the chains of the old cuckoo clock. Your weary sigh tells us your day is over. We could not know that you have stamped indelible impressions on us forever. We could not know—until now. Dad, we know you are at peace in a better world. We are grateful for the ideals you have left us. Your memory will always be with us. Willard Augustus Forbes
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