Cheryl L. Wulf, 73 of Lincoln, passed away on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln. She was born on August 26, 1948, to Keith & Joyce (Tucker) Janssen in Lincoln. Cheryl married Dennis Wulf and they were blessed with two children. They later would divorce but stayed close friends.
Francis “Frank” L. Searcey, 79 of Syracuse, passed away on May 12, 2022 at the Omaha VA Hospital. Frank was born on October 7, 1942, to Kenneth & Bernadette (Conradt) Searcey in Pawnee City. After graduating from Lewiston High School, he proudly joined the Army. Francis actively served his country from 1960-1963 based in Germany until he was honorably discharged. Frank married Mary Moslander and they were blessed with seven children.
Geraldine “Jeri” Wilken, age 96 of Murdock, NE passed away at home on Saturday, May 14th 2022. She was born February 7th 1926 to Almore and Esther (Collinson) Sommer in rural Custer County near Merna, NE.
Naomi M. Gross, 100 of Syracuse, passed away on May 10, 2022 at the Syracuse Hospital. Naomi was born July 4, 1921 to Walter and Ruby (Dively) Vohs on the family farm near Burr, NE. She attended rural Otoe County schools through 8th grade. Even as a young girl, she was always outside with the animals and helping her father. Naomi married Ernie Gross on October 25, 1940 in Papillion, NE. They had two children, son Kenny and daughter Susan.
After excelling through the season, members of the Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca junior high boys’ and girls’ teams competed at the State Championship Meet in Gothenburg on Saturday, May 14. In the girls’ division, Ashlynn Vestal placed 5th in the 100m hurdles, 16.99. The 4x400 team of Vestal, Kathleen Donovan, Bridget Donovan, and Haleigh Werner placed 3rd with a new school record time of 4:21.34.
The University of South Dakota women’s team captured the Summit League crown in Tulsa, Oklahoma at ONEOK Sports Complex last Saturday with a score of 243 over runner-up North Dakota State with 225. Meredith Clark (2019 Syracuse Grad), placed in all three of her events: shot put, 2nd, 48’1 ¾”; discus, 3rd, 158’6”; and hammer throw, 4th, 179’1”. Lauren Meyer (2020 Syracuse Grad), placed in the triple jump, 7th, 38’11 ½”. The conference track meet puts an end to the track season for both athletes.
The Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca boys’ golf team competed at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Lincoln on Monday for the Class C-1 Districts. Scoring for the Rockets were freshman Cade Stephenson, 94, 21st place; junior Logan Zoller, 95; junior Robert Shanks, 95; junior Gabe Dilley, 115; and junior Cody Damme, 115. The team scored 388 for 7th place. Lincoln Lutheran won the event with a score of 340. The top ten players and top three teams will play at the state tournament at Elks Country Club in Columbus on May 24 and 25.
A comprehensive review of research published between 1990 and 2020 studying the link between physical activity and mental health outcomes determined that nearly 90 percent of all peer-reviewed, published research reported a positive, statistically significant relationship between exercise/physical activity and mental health. Conducted by the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, the review found that 1,029 of the 1,158 experimental studies examined reported significant positive relationships between physical activity and mental health outcomes. General physical activity, a broad descriptor referring to the amount of daily or weekly physical activity people engage in irrespective of type, had the greatest number of positive studies of any type of physical activity, followed by cardiovascular and aerobic activity and yoga. Authors of the review concluded that their findings illustrate that exercise and movement can now be considered mainstream elements of mental health care.
Under the direction of coaches Joey Reisdorff and Russ Cooper, the Syracuse 10u soccer team recently finished its season. Pictured are team members JB Murdoch, Kaleb Edwards, Jude Fricke, Elliot Johnson, Easton Cooper, Max Wieneke, Ryker Keslar, Edison Alder, Jak Kalina, Micah Noerrlinger, and Truman Reisdorff. Not pictured is Wyatt Wittgren. Courtesy Photo
Grit and determination. Readiness to help at a moment’s notice. Willingness to work long and hard. Steadfastness in the face of difficulty. These are the qualities that define us as Nebraskans. And we saw them on full display last month as our state battled the worst fires in a decade.