Lyle W. Ohrmund

Nov. 4, 1926 - Oct. 12, 2006

IMPERIAL -- Lyle William Ohrmund 79, died Thursday (Oct. 12, 2006) at the Imperial Manor Nursing Home.

He was born on Nov. 4, 1926, in a sod house, in White River, S.D., between the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Sioux Indian Reservations to William and Anna Marie (Wiegel) Ohrmund.

He attended school in Chambers, before the family moved back to South Dakota. He attended county school until the school was moved west of Cedarbutte, S.D.

He enlisted in the Air Force at age 17, toward the end of World War II. He was a sheet metal repair technician for the B29 and B24 Bombers. When the war ended he served in Italy in the occupational forces at Foggi, Italy as an Air Force radio news announcer. After his discharge he returned to O'Neil, where he was employed as the 'Voice of the Radio Frontier' with WAGH Norfolk.

He married Norma (Sobotka) at St. Pat's Catholic Church in O'Neil on July 7, 1951. They lived in Atkinson, where he worked as an electrician for the REA.

In 1953 they moved to rural Cherry County where he was employed in ranching out of Brownlee and later out of Seneca.

In 1962 he was hired on by the Nebraska Brand Committee as a brand inspector and moved to Southwest Nebraska. He retired 1992. He also studied photography and graduated from the New York Institute of Photography.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two infant brothers, two sisters, Maxine (Ohrmund) Gatton and an infant; and a nephew, David Gatton.

Survivors include his wife, Norma, of Imperial; two daughters, Brenda Cahow and husband, Mark of Imperial; and Lisa Kerchal, and husband, Rory of Wauneta; and three grandsons.

Funeral mass will be 10 a.m. (MT), Tuesday, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Imperial, with the Rev. Mark Seiker officiating. A Christian burial with full military honors by American Legion Post No. 4688 of Imperial, will follow at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Imperial.

Liewer Funeral Home of Imperial is in charge of arrangements.