Gerald "Jerry" L. Benne, 85

Gerald “Jerry” Lee Benne, age 85, of Oakland, Nebraska, passed away, surrounded by family, o n F ebruary 1 2. J erry w as b orn December 29, 1940, in West Point, to Herman and Evelyn (Ahrens) Benne.

One of six children who grew up on the north end of Main Street, he attended Oakland High School. Jerry loved fast cars and his ‘57 Chevy with the cherry red hardtop, and after high school, he drove a truck for Wallerstedt Feed and also transported livestock for Case Transfer.

He m arried B arbara A nn Y oung, of T ekamah, i n J une 1 961. T o t his union were born three children: Bruce, Jeff, and Brenda. Living with his in-laws in Geneva while attending Nebraska Vocational Technical School in Milford, he obtained a degree in refrigeration, appliances, and electric. The family returned to Oakland, where Jerry started Benne Refrigeration and Electric. He closed this business when the family moved to Omaha in 1971, where he worked at Trusdell Distributing. Divorced in 1973, he continued to work in Omaha before returning to Oakland and working for Nordstroms TV and Appliance in Tekamah.

He met the love of his life and married Barbara Jane Swanson (Frye) on October 17th, 1979. The family moved to Ainsworth in 1980. There he completed instruction from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center and began his career in law enforcement. He worked as chief deputy of Brown County, and he and Barb delivered papers on a r oute t hat i ncluded t he e ntire t own u ntil 1 986. J erry a nd B arb showed their compassion and loving hearts by opening their home to several foster children over the years. In 1986 he became chief of police in Lyons, replacing the infamous Greg Webb. They lived in Lyons until 1991, when he moved to Albion, to become Chief Deputy of B oone C ounty, later b ecoming Sheriff o f B oone C ounty, a position he held for 9 years.

Jerry loved his career in law enforcement and took pride in being a Nebraska sheriff and even greater pride in his police dog, Clyde. Clyde spent countless hours on patrol with Jerry in Ainsworth, Lyons, and Albion. Jerry was outgoing and made many life-long friends during his career.

Jerry w as t he only o ne of h is s iblings t o m ove more t han 1 0 m iles from O akland, much t o t he dismay o f h is mother, E velyn. H e was a devoted husband and father and was willing to move or change professions i f i t m eant i mproving t he lives o f his w ife o r c hildren. Upon losing his second wife to cancer, his connection and bond with his family led him back to Oakland. He spent his retirement years working p art-time f or H elena and d riving a t ruck f or f armers i n t he area before ending his working days as a driver for the Oakland Heights Nursing Home. He shared a home with Linda Carlson for several years until he moved into Oakland Heights in November 2022. During his time on the hill, he would greet all visitors with a smile and have a friendly conversation for anybody willing to talk.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two wives; sister and brother-in-law Norma Jean (Maurice) Peterson; brothers Delwin and Dwight “Spunk” Benne; brother and sister-in-law Dayton and Margaret (Carlson); son Michael Larry Swanson; and daughter-in-law Patti Swanson.

He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Phyllis (Tom) Meyer of Uehling; sisters-in-law Hilda (Lagge) Benne and Mary (Olson) Benne, both of Oakland; his children Bruce (Tina) Benne of Albion, Jeff (Fran) Benne of Lincoln, Brenda (Walter) Roberts of Henderson, Nev., Stephanie (Mark) Hultquist of Lyons, Mitch Swanson and special friend Jeanne Wallen of O’Neill, and daughter-in-law Heather Houston of Y uba C ity, C alif.; f oster daughters, P am Z wiebel ( Ford) of W inner, S.D., and Veloris Cizek Juneman (Bennet) of Kimberling City, Mo.; 21 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild, along with many nieces and nephews.

Funeral service was held on Saturday, February 21, at 10:30 a.m. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oakland.