Burdette Louis Bauerle

Burdette Louis Bauerle, age 94, of Imperial, NE passed away January 26, 2026. Burdette was born in Enders, NE on June 19, 1931, to Louis Henry and Lola Virginia (Fitzpatrick) Bauerle. When he was in seventh grade the family moved to Imperial, NE and lived on the farm located on the Champion Road.

During his high school years, Burdette was active in FFA, played football, and participated in 4-H. He graduated in 1949 from Chase County High School.

In 1950, Burdette was called to serve his country and joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He completed boot camp, engineer training, and infantry training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. After a short break, he flew to San Francisco and boarded a ship bound for Tokyo, Japan. He served with the 1st Cavalry Division for 16 months near the Russian border in Oketo, Japan, where his unit constructed roads and airstrips and installed power lines. He was honorably discharged in 1952 at Fort Carson near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

After returning home, Burdette began what would become his lifelong profession of farming and ranching.

He met Winifred Lucille Johnson at church, and on April 15, 1956, they were married at the First United Methodist Church. He wore his lucky red socks on their wedding day. They shared 59 years of marriage until Lucille’s passing in 2015.

In 1962, Burdette and Lucille took over the farming operation and moved to the farm. They raised two daughters, and Burdette was a loving and supportive father to Rhonda and Diane. He knew firsthand the experience of stepping on stray sewing pins from their projects and faithfully ate the same recipe for weeks while they practiced for 4-H demonstrations.

In retirement, Burdette and Lucille enjoyed traveling throughout the United States with close friends Richard and Jean Johnson, and Jess and Joyce Bernard. Burdette was known for his gentle spirit and enjoyed visiting with friends and relatives. He was deeply patriotic and held great respect for the American flag and for all who served their country. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Imperial Global Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Lola Bauerle; his wife, Lucille (Johnson); his son-in-law, Dick Pierce; sisters-in-law Wilma Johnson, Nettie Nordhausen and Kathryn Willats; and brothers-in-law Robert Willats, Byron Johnson, Richard Johnson, and Gerold Radcliffe.

Survivors include his two daughters, Rhonda Pierce of Oswego, Illinois, and Diane Bauerle of Littleton, Colorado; his sister, Mona Radcliffe of Ogallala, Nebraska; his sister-in-law, Jean Johnson of Imperial; his brother-in-law, Clint Nordhausen of Imperial; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Celebration of life has been scheduled for Friday January 30th, 10:00AM at Imperial Methodist Church. Inurnment will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Imperial, Nebraska.

Memorial donations may be made to the Imperial Community Center, 900 Wellington Street, Imperial, Nebraska 69033.