Services held for long-time resident Mary Daniels

Editor's Note:  We were saddened at the news last month that our long-time friend Mary Daniels of Whitney had passed away.  For anyone who has ever lived in Whitney, and many  who attended school in the the Whitney-Crawford-Chadron area during much of the mid-to-late 1900's, Mary was likely no stranger.  Her roots in Whitney were deep, and she was a kind contributor of information and photos to our Whitney Reflections website.  Whether it was school, church, or community, Mary etched her mark into the history of Whitney, Nebraska.      ~~Larry Miller, Editor

Mary Daniels (1917-2015)

Memorial services for Mary E. Daniels, age 98, of Whitney, NE were held Saturday, November 21, 2015 at the Whitney Methodist Church with her nephews Dr. Byron Klaus of Blue Eye, MO and Reverend Merlyn Klaus of Omaha, NE officiating.

Inurnment followed in the Whitney Cemetery.

A memorial has been established. Donations may be sent to Chamberlain Chapel, PO Box 970, Chadron, NE 69337.

Online condolences can be made at www.chamberlainchapel.com.

Mary passed away peacefully in the care of Ponderosa Villa in Crawford, NE on October 30, 2015. She is survived by sister Martha Klaus of Springfield, MO, sister-in-law Beverly Daniels of Lexington, NE, numerous nieces and nephews; and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews. She was preceded in death by parents Jake and Anna Daniels and brothers Elvin and Leo Daniels.

Mary, a lifelong resident of the Nebraska Panhandle, was born in the brand-new farm home of her grandparents, John and Elizabeth Gobel, in Gering, NE on June 21, 1917. She was the first child of Jake and Anna Gobel Daniels. 

The family moved to Dawes County in 1921, eventually settling in the town of Whitney, where her parents purchased a farm in the Whitney Irrigation District. 

A graduate of Chadron State College, Mary had a career as an educator that spanned five decades, all of that in Dawes County. Mary taught in rural school districts, and in the Chadron and Crawford school districts, teaching everything from Senior High English to Kindergarten. Multiple generations of Dawes County students were influenced by Mary’s teaching efforts. In fact, Mary loved teaching so much that even after retiring, she was a substitute in various schools for another 15 years. 

A devout Christian, Mary was involved in numerous volunteer activities in the Whitney Methodist Church, and also served with the Nebraska United Methodist Women and the Christian Women’s Club in Chadron.

Mary lived in the Whitney area most of her adult life, moving to Ponderosa Villa in Crawford in 2011, where she spent her remaining years.