Glenn Poland

Sargent resident, 89

SARGENT - Glenn Wyman Poland, 89, of Sargent died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at his home.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Rhoad Funeral Home in Sargent with the Rev. Cliff Reynolds officiating. Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Sargent.

Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

He was born Dec. 2, 1920, near Sargent to George and Margaret (Vanderveen) Poland.

On Aug. 15, 1948, he married Laurel Hust in Imperial.

Survivors include his wife; son, Doug of Sargent; daughters, Kathy Fiorelli and her husband, Randy, of Anselmo and Shirley Williams and her husband, David, of Lincoln; sister, Evelyn Dawson of Visalia, Calif.; grandchildren, Jeremy Fiorelli of Anselmo, Marci Fiorelli of Kearney, Kim (Fiorelli) Murray of San Antonio, Garet Poland of Kenesaw, KeShara (Poland) Rogers of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Isaac Poland, Owen Williams and Emma Williams, all of Lincoln; great-grandchildren, Tara, Trinity and Tyler Murray, Dylan and Dominic Rogers and Kacey Poland; and stepgreat-grandchild, Cody Shriver.

He was born at the family farm near Sargent. He was the third of five children who walked, or later took a horse and cart, to a country school a few miles away for their early education. He graduated from Sargent High School along with his sister, Evelyn, in 1940 after living in town and working at the local J.C. Penney store during the week and returning to the farm to work on weekends.

He reported for the service several times during World War II. But, with his two older brothers already in the service, the draft board decided it was better for him to keep working on the farm in order to keep it in production during the war years.

He met his wife at a church hayrack ride after she moved to Sargent to teach school. They started their married life in a sod house between Sargent and Taylor. During winter 1948-1949, he had to ride a horse to Taylor to get necessities because the roads were impassable for months.

They moved to a farm they purchased nearby where he continued to actively farm and raise cattle until the last year of his life. He loved farming and ranching. He and Laurel celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in August.

He was a pilot and had a runway, airplane and hangar on the farm. He enjoyed flying and was a member of Flying Farmers of America, and the family frequently flew, rather than drove, to wherever they might be going. He also used the plane to check cattle in the winter and gave rides to anyone who was interested.

He also was a lifelong follower of Husker football, and a regular family excursion was to those games.

He was active in the community and was elected to several boards during his lifetime. He served on other nonelected ones as well during his life. He was on the Custer Public Power Board of Directors for 27 years, Sargent School Board for 12 years, Sargent Airport Authority Board, Sargent Township Board, Sargent Farmers Co-op Board of Directors and the Custer County Extension Board.

He was also active in the Lions Club, was a Boy Scout leader for years and was a frequent volunteer at Sargent United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Raymond and Kenneth; and sister, Donita Van Horn.