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Wesley Richard "Dick" Prohs, 97, of Gering died Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011, at Heritage Estates in Gering.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Gering Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at West Lawn Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the chapel.
Memorial donations can be made to the North Platte Valley Historical Association. Tributes of sympathy may be left at www.geringchapel.com.
Dick was born in Gering, to Otto and Flora (West) Prohs. He graduated from Gering High school. Dick received his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., in 1936. He moved to Rapid City where he was employed as an instructor at the South Dakota School of Mines. There he met his wife, Dorothy, who was a nurse at St. John's hospital. They were married on Oct. 31, 1938.
In 1940 Dick moved to Gering to work for his father, Otto, at "Prohs Brothers." In 1944 he signed up as an Ensign in the United States Navy where he was trained as a radar officer at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a Naval officer he played an important role in the Manhattan project. After the war he returned to Gering where he again worked with his father at "Prohs Brothers." Dick and Dorothy later transitioned "Prohs Brothers" into "Prohs Furniture Galleries."
Dick took a great interest in the welfare of the community. He served on the boards of the Nebraska Municipal Power Pool, Northfield Villa, Platte Valley Savings and Loan, as president of the Chamber of Commerce and five terms as Mayor of Gering (1962 to1974). He also held the office of Commander in the American Legion and was active in the local VFW. He was honored for his support and service to the North Platte Valley Historical Association and for 70 years as a Master Mason.
Retiring in 1980, he and Dorothy traveled across the United States in their RV to see sights and visit relatives and friends.
Survivors include his sons, John (Melissa) of Gold River, Calif. and Jim (Denise) of Gering; grandchildren, Dodie Prohs of Oshkosh, Aaron (Melissa) Prohs of Gering and Tanya (Prohs) Cherry of Clarksville, Tenn.; and six great-grandchildren.
Preceding Dick in death was his father, Otto Prohs; his mother, Flora (West) Prohs and his wife, Dorothy (Banks) Prohs.
Published in The Star-Herald from November 2 to November 4, 2011
