Harold E. Gerdes
NORFOLK – Funeral services for Harold E. Gerdes, 80, of Ashland, formerly of Osmond, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk. Rev. Terry Buol will be officiating. Interment will be held at the Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Norfolk. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Saturday. Military rites will be held at the funeral home by American Legion Post 16, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1644 of Norfolk, and the United States Army Honor Guard. Pallbearers will be Jacob Burke, Joseph Burke, Jesse Burke, Travis vonRentzell, Eric Pearson, and Johanna Burke. Honorary pallbearer will be Kaleb Rader-Farabee. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com. The family requests that memorials be made to the Ashland Fire and Rescue Department. Harold passed away on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at his residence in rural Ashland. Stonacek Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Harold was born on May 14, 1943, in Osmond to Henry A. and Johanna N. (Kuhl) Gerdes. He attended grade school and high school in Osmond. Harold served in the Nebraska National Guard Company Full Time for 22 years, and with the reserves Nebraska National Guard Company B 1st Bn 134 for over 32 years, then fulfilling
a career he retired from with the State of Nebraska Department of Roads. Harold married Diana Buhrman on May 14, 1966, at the Golgotha Lutheran Church in rural Wausa. After marriage, the family lived in Osmond and then later moved to Norfolk. While living in Osmond, he was a volunteer firefighter for the Osmond Fire Department.
They then built a house in rural Ashland and moved there in 1976. He was known for his personality of 'everyone is a friend' — the one you could call and count on for anything: a road trip, a help with a project, a call for no other reason than to just talk. Being with his family and doing projects on the acreage was his all-time favorite hobby.
Harold loved animals of all kinds, many animals, dogs, cats, cows, horses, sheep, chickens, you name it they would end up as pets on his acreage. He would vacation with his wife, Diana, he would help his daughter Cindy sneak animals (pets) on the property for mom not to know, he would take his daughter Dina to sales to buy rare coins. He was always the hero when his 'girls' would break down on the side of the road, or just to show up for coffee at the craziest times of the morning at the local truck stop. Many days as his grandchildren came into this world, he would hop in his truck and show up for them for any adventure that called. He will be missed by many.
Survivors include his spouse, Diana Gerdes of Ashland; children Cindy (Lawrence) Burke of Louisville, NE, and Dina Loo vonRentzell of Lincoln; four grandchildren, Jacob Burke, Johanna Burke (Specialist Kaleb Rader-Farabee), Joseph Burke and Jesse Burke; one great-grandchild, Waylon Tucker Rader, and siblings LeRoy Gerdes of Osmond, and Mary Ann Finch of Norfolk.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Johanna; daughter Kristy Lynn Gerdes; grandson Tucker Frank vonRentzell, and siblings Roger Gerdes, Alvin Gerdes, and Leonard Gerdes.
