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NORFOLK — Clair Alton Ohlrich died March 8, 2024, at the Norfolk Veterans Home, following a struggle with pancreatic cancer and Parkinsons.
Visitation was March 12 at Ashburn Funeral Home, Plainview.
Memorial Services will be 10:30 a.m., March 13, at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church, Brunswick.
Final interment will be at Brunswick Cemetery. Clair was born to Aage and Veryl (Nash) Ohlrich Aug. 30, 1940, at their farmstead near Brunswick. He attended first through eighth grade at country school District #35, then finished his high school education at Brunswick Public School, graduating in 1958. Following graduation, Clair worked at Carhart Lumber in Neligh, also helping his dad with the farming and trucking. In October 1963, he was drafted into the Army, completing his basics at Ft. Leonard Wood, Kan. The rest of his service years were at Fort Lewis, Wash., where he served with Company A 1st Battalion 8th Infantry, being honorably discharged Sept. 30, 1969. He married Karen Wortman, Brunswick, Sept. 18, 1965, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Brunswick. They had four children, Theresa Ann, Gene Michael, Pamela Sue and Mark Alan.
Following his return from the service, he began employment with Meuret Grain Co. and returned to helping his dad. In January 1966, he began employment at N&B Gas Co. , later known as Great Western, until 2001. While working for N&B, he hauled and serviced propane, learned another trade skill in HVAC installation and repair, and also hauled fertilizer out of Ainsworth. In 2001, Clair and his wife opened a private business, C&K Service, installing and repairing heating and air conditioning until retiring in 2015. During this time, he also worked for the Village of Brunswick and Brunswick Helena Chemical. Starting in 2007, he and his wife spent many years campground hosting for various State Parks in Nebraska and South Dakota during summer months until 2019.
Clair was an avid hunter and loved fishing. So much so that he and Larry Shaffer taught the first Hunter Safety courses to many youth from the surrounding area during the 1960s and 70s. He loved to hunt raccoons and raised many Treeing Walker Coonhounds throughout the years. He especially loved to go hunting and fishing with his grandkids in his later years, telling many “fish stories.”
He was very active in the community. He was a member of St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Brunswick, serving on the church council as well as the Catholic Order of Foresters and doing maintenance work. He was a member of Plainview and Brunswick Fire Departments serving first as Asst. Fire Chief and then as Fire Chief 1966-1991. He served on Brunswick Cemetery Board, many years as president. He was a member of the Antelope County Agricultural Society, taking care of the PA system for annual county fairs. He was a proud member of Brunswick Post #357 American Legion, being Post Commander for over 30 years, also serving on county and department levels.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Karen, Norfolk; daughter, Theresa (Jerome) Kauth, Belden, and their children, Ti, Cedar Rapids; Cie, Belden; and Jay (Amanda Hoff), and their daughters, Hadley and Parker, Norfolk; son, Gene (Angie Stapelman), Belden, and their children, Lathan, Belden; McKenzie (fiancé, Parker Conrad), Ponca; Nolan (friend, Kaylee Donner), Creighton; daughter, Pamela (Thomas) Biernbaum, Belden, and her daughter, Marissa Ohlrich, Norfolk, and his daughters, Beth Biernbaum, South Sioux City, and Becky Biernbaum and her children, Scarlett, Kaisyn, Jasper and Hazyn, South Sioux City; son, Mark (Sara Eddie), Fremont; brother, Marvin, Ainsworth, and sister, Helen Anderson, Norfolk, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents; sister, Alma Fink; brother, Donald; grandparents-in-law; parents-in-law; sister-inlaw, Jolene; and brothers-in-law, Joseph and Gene.
