Steven N. Daniels, 73

Steven N. Daniels was born to Noral and Shirley (Wrage) Daniels on March 3, 1948. He was welcomed home by two older sisters, Connie Lou and Shirley Ann. Later, they were joined by younger brother, Chuck.

He grew up south of Ainsworth, attending country schools and working on his parents’ ranch. The family enjoyed dancing and Steve was a good dance partner. He also recalled family outings to the lake, especially his mother getting up early to fry chicken for them.

He graduated from Ainsworth High School in 1966 and attended Kearney State College.

He worked in Elkhorn as a butcher, then life brought him back to north central Nebraska where he worked as a ranch hand and a truck driver.

Steve enjoyed riding horses, fishing, working area brandings and had a knack for fixing just about anything that broke. He was very quickwitted (ornery) and enjoyed meeting new people. He could tell you where every decent truck stop or cafe was west of the Mississippi, it seemed. He valued a good waitress (was remembered by all of them he picked on) and a cup of strong, black coffee. He loved a good bargain and regularly attended auctions and sales to see what he could find. In recent years, Steve became quite the gardener and enjoyed freezing/canning his bounty. Family gatherings included rousing games of cards, mostly pitch, and cribbage. He did not like when his granddaughters beat him at cribbage particularly and tried all sorts of distraction techniques to gain advantage. Steve also enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow up and participated in their extra-curricular activities and events.

Steve died on July 30, 2021, as the result of a semi-truck and train accident near Dunning.

He was preceded in death by his father Noral, granddaughter Nicole, niece Tansy and sister-in-law Dianne.

Survivors include: mother Shirley Daniels of Ainsworth, daughters Jolin Heller of Emmet, Janell (Mark) Stoeger of Valentine, Bobbi (Cliff) Melcher of Battle Creek, Lana (Eric) Hoeferer of Norfolk, and sons Stan (Heather) Daniels of Dalton, and Shane (Kristi) Daniels of Mullen. He is also survived by sisters, Connie Daniels of Scottsbluff, Shirley (Fred) Pitcher of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and brother Chuck Daniels of Ainsworth. Steve leaves behind 18 grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren, nieces and nephews, as well as friends and neighbors who will mourn his loss.

Funeral services for Steven N. Daniels, 73, of Seneca, NE, were held Friday, August 6 at The Lariat Auditorium in Mullen, NE.