Bud Finkey

Bud Finkey Obituary

Services will be held Saturday, November 21st, 10:00 A.M at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 5th and Main Street, Rushville NE, with interment immediately following, the Reverend Allan Wierschke officiating. The family will begin receiving visitors at 9:00 A.M. on Saturday. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery Military plot alongside his wife Ello Dee. Bud died at St. Luke’s Good Samaritan Society in Kearney, NE November 16, 2020.

Born February 23, 1931 to William and Oma (Diehl) Finkey, the eighth child of nine, 6 boys and 3 girls.

Bud was preceded in death by his parents; 3 sisters: Elizabeth Finkey, Ruth Huntington, and Donna Peters; 5 brothers: Charles, Earl, Melvin (died in infancy), Bill and Curly ( Raymond).

Survivors include his children: Kevin (Heather) of Kearney, NE, Kurt (Jill) of Ashland, NE; grandchildren: Nate Finkey (Katie) of North Liberty, IA, Kaylee Aksamit (Dillon) of Hallam, NE, Alesha Finkey (Chad Woods) of Omaha, NE, Logan Finkey of Lincoln, NE, and Carter John of Kearney, NE; four great-grandchildren: Emma and Ava Finkey of North Liberty, IA, and Dawson and Blair Aksamit of Hallam, NE.

Bud entered Kindergarten at 5-years of age in the old Rushville elementary building and graduated with the Class of 1949.

On October 10, 1950 he and a classmate, Cliff Robbins, went to Denver to enlist in military service. Bud (a nickname his mother gave him as a young boy) enlisted in the US Air Force and Cliff enlisted in the US Navy. Bud was sent to Lackland Air Force Training Camp at San Antonio, Texas for three months and then his first assignment was Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, Louisiana. He spent his first Christmas away from home there. One incident he liked to talk about was a 4-inch snowfall one night and in the morning all the southern boys were excited about that as most of them had never seen snow before. They were out there in their underwear throwing snowballs and rolling in the snow. After about three months there he was sent to Lockbourned AFB, Columbus, Ohio. He stayed there for nearly two years. He wanted to volunteer overseas, but his Commanding Officer didn’t want to release him. Finally in July of 1953 his C.O. asked him if he still wanted to go overseas. Bud then signed up for Korea. He went to Korea in August of 1953 and stayed the required 12-months returning to the states in August of 1954. After returning to the states he was assigned to Hempstead AFB on Long Island, NY until his separation date of October 9, 1954.

Upon returning home he began learning the printing trade with the Gottschalk family in the Sheridan County Star, a business he stayed with the rest of his life.

He married Ello Dee Cerny on June 15, 1961 and to this union two sons were born, Kevin Dean on April 15, 1962 and Kurtis Duane on September 27, 1964.

Bud was a member of the American Legion for 66 years and a member of the Rushville Rotary Club and Rushville Fire Department. His favorite group was the Sheridan County Players where he did mostly light and sound effects.

Pallbearers include: Steve Elwood, Lee Parker, Tony Hindman and Don Mayberry Honorary Pallbearers: All of Bud’s Grandkids and Great Grandkids.

Memorials in care of the family can be sent to Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home, P.O. Box 366 Gordon, NE 69343