Thomas Hovorka

Tom Hovorka, 81 of Chappell and a former Sidney resident, died Sun., Dec. 14, 2014 at the Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff.

Cremation has taken place and there is no visitation at the funeral home.

Memorial graveside services and inurnment with military rites will be held at 10:30 a.m., Sat., Jan. 3, 2015 in the Hillside Cemetery at Julesburg, Colo.

You can view the online obituary and share condolences with the family at http://www.holechekfuneralhomes.com

Tom was born Sept. 27, 1933 and spent his early years on a family homestead near Marsland, Neb. He was the son of Thomas and Mary (Turek) Hovorka. He attended grade school at Box Butte County, District #20 before graduating from Alliance High School where he was senior class president in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

After his army tour, he obtained his BA Degree from Chadron State College and taught school at Alliance High School for 13 years. He received his Master's of Science Degree in 1963.

On Aug. 31, 1958 he married Evelyn Saulsbury at Hemingford and to this union two sons, Byron and Paul, were born. He had farming and ranching interests in the Hemingford area from 1953 until his son Byron took over in 1972.

Mary Dickinson (Haack) and Tom were married on Aug. 24, 1984 in Kimball and lived in Lodgepole before moving to Sidney, where she passed away at their home on Feb. 4, 2000.

On Oct. 27, 2000, Tom married Bernadine Barnica of Chappell. They moved to Carlsbad, N.M. in 2002 and lived there until earlier this year. Bernadine died on Oct. 21, 2014 at the Miller Memorial Care Center in Chappell where they had made their home.

Tom was a member of the Fox and Lake Church of Christ in Carlsbad.

He will be missed by his sons: Byron of Custer, Wash. and Paul and wife Debra of Holcomb, Kan .; his step-sons: Eddie Haack and wife Laurie of Sidney, Lance Barnica and wife Sara of Sedgwick, Colo. and Lorn and Laverne Barnica of Chappell, as well as many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends and neighbors.

He was preceded in death by his parents; infant brother and sister; sisters: Rosalyn Burt of Texas, Agnes Gasseling of Hemingford and Ellen Pollard of Kansas City, Mo .; and brothers: John and Frank of Hemingford and Richard of Fruitland, Ind.

Holechek Funeral Home and Cremations in Chappell assisted the family with the cremation.