Curtis C. Schwaninger

Schwaninger on a farm near Hallam, NE. He remembered a happy childhood growing up with his older brother, Homer. Both loved farming and did so all their lives. In Curtis’ single days, he enjoyed square dancing and roller skating. He also taught Sunday School for a time and sang in the family’s church choir for some years.

Curtis was united in marriage on July 27, 1963, to Joetta Mae Joyce of Deer Creek, Indiana. They were blessed with two sons: Brian and Darin. Curtis was actively engaged in the lives of his sons. In 1973, he was appointed to the Crete School Board; and in 1976 he was elected to serve four more years. During his tenure, they helped to build a new Jr.-Sr. High School.

In 1975 Curtis joined The Gideons International and served in various local and state offices. The highlight of his service in The Gideons was a trip to Venezuela in 1990, along with 29 other Gideons from the U.S. and a few other countries. In just a two-week period, they were able to distribute over 615,000 copies of the Bible and New Testament to people of Venezuela in four large cities.

Curtis & Joetta began attending the Princeton Countryside Alliance Church in 1984, where Curtis served as Treasurer for around 12 years and as an Elder for nearly 30 years. In 1995, after Curtis had lived in the same home for 63 ½ years, he & Joetta built a new home near where he grew up. That home was destroyed by a tornado in 2004; but they rebuilt on the same property and moved again in 2005.

Curtis was good at composing rhyming poetry. He liked to tease; watch NE Football, volleyball and “old westerns” on TV. He enjoyed the challenge of solving the crossword puzzles, cryptoquotes and jumbles in the daily newspaper. He was competitive and loved playing games with his family. His family was his joy.

He is survived by his wife Joetta; son Brian (Rita) Schwaninger and son Darin Schwaninger; grandsons: Alex, Tanner, Preston & Hunter Schwaninger; sisters-in-law, Belva Schwaninger and Janet (Bob) Davies; nieces and nephews. Curtis was preceded in death by his parents, infant brother Waldon, and his brother Homer.

Family to receive friends from 5-7pm, Saturday, February 29 at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, 6800 South 14th Street Lincoln, Nebraska. Funeral Services will be held at Princeton Countryside Alliance Church, Princeton, NE, at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 1st. Memorials to The Gideons International, Lincoln Christian School or Princeton Countryside Alliance Church.

Condolences online at lincolnfh.com.