Elva Lostroh, 100 of Sidney, Nebraska died Friday morning, June 13, 2014 at Sidney Regional Medical Center, Extended Care.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M., Thursday, June 19, 2014 in the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Thomas Hyde officiating. A private family burial will be Friday morning in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Imperial, Nebraska.
Memorials have been established to the Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp or the Sidney Regional Medical Center Hospice.
Friends may call from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday at the Holechek Funeral Home in Sidney with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00.
Elva Leora Lostroh was born September 6, 1913 at Wauneta, Nebraska, the second daughter of Leo and Iva (McMullen) Crowell. She grew up in Wauneta and graduated high school in 1930. Her further education was at Colorado State College in Greeley, Colorado and Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska, after which she taught several years in the rural schools of Chase County and three and a half years in Champion, Nebraska.
On January 26, 1942 Elva was married to Clifford Davison of Champion. At this time she was serving as a secretary-bookkeeper for J.C. Penny Company in Imperial. When Clifford was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, in the U.S. Army, Elva transferred to the J.C. Penny Store in Junction City, Kansas to be near him.
After Clifford was discharged, they returned to Chase County and started a career in farming. While farming east of Sidney, Clifford was involved in a bad accident on Highway 30 and died in 1965.
Elva and her two sons, Lynn and Delbert Davison moved to Sidney and she resumed her teaching career for a few years. She also worked for a short time at Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas Co. In 1970 she was elected to be Clerk of the District Court of Cheyenne County. She retained that position for sixteen years (4 terms) retiring in 1986. During her tenure, she was elected and served as Secretary, Vice President and President of the Nebraska Association of Clerks of the District Court.
She was involved with the Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp as Treasurer for many years and was happy to see it evolve from one cabin to what it is today.
Elva was on the original board of the Cheyenne County Community Center and assisted in the planning and financial affairs of the Center. She also wielded the gavel for the Ladies Auxiliary to the veterans of Foreign Wars. She served in a number of offices leading to a two the two year presidency of the local auxiliary in 1975 to 1977. She served as president of District II of the VFW Auxiliary in 1979 and 1980.
Elva was a member of the Order of Eastern Star since joining in 1966. She served as Worthy Matron of the Wenona Chapter in Lodgepole in 1969 and also held offices of Associate Conductress and Conductress. She was also Worthy Matron of the Providence Chapter in Sidney.
On November 14, 1992 she was married to Elwood Lostroh. They resided in his farm home just north of Sidney until 2003. At that time it became necessary, because of health reasons for both of them to be hospitalized. They moved to Memorial Health Center, and eventually to Sloan Estates. She had been a resident of Sidney Memorial Health Center, Extended Care since 2008.
Elva was a member of the First United Methodist Church for many years.
Survivors include her two sons: Lynn Davison and wife Marilyn of Tucson, AZ and Delbert Davison and wife Terry of San Antonio, TX; step-daughter Dixie Wulf and husband Brian of Lincoln, NE; one sister, Marilyn Wenberg and husband Howard of Lander, WY and their families; three grandchildren: Stacie Hernandez and husband Greg of San Antonio, TX, Geri Magnell of Kerrville, TX and David Davison of San Antonio, TX; two great-granddaughters: Kaylah Baca of San Antonio, TX and Hayden Magnell of Kerrville, TX ; and many nieces and nephews and a host of friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands and three sisters: Veneta Beard of Ord, NE, Lucille McCormack of Grant, NE and Beryl Bielins of Longmont, CO; one brother Delbert Crowell of Jackson, MO and her sister-in-law Dorothy Cranwell of Champion, NE.
Holechek Funeral Home and Cremations in Sidney is serving the Lostroh family.