William James "Jim" Troshynski

William James "Jim" Troshynski was born on March 8, 1948, in O'Neill, to Michael A. and Lauretta (Murphy) Troshynski. Jim, the youngest child, received extra attention from his older siblings: Leona, Betty, Miriam and Michael. Jim attended St. Mary's Grade School and graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1966. Upon graduation from high school, Jim worked on a construction crew until he enlisted in the United States Army in September 1967. He received his basic training at Fort Cambell, Kentucky, and then received electronics training at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. After electronics training, Jim served a twelve-month tour overseas during the Vietnam War. He was stationed at Korat, Thailand, Hill 272, on a communications detail. At the end of his initial twelve-month deployment, he extended his overseas tour for seven months to get a five-month early-out discharge from the Army in April 1970, as a Sargeant EF. Jim remembered his time served in the United States Army as two years, seven months, six days, and eleven hours. He received his honorable discharge from the Army on Sept. 1, 1970, for his honest and faithful service. Upon return home to O'Neill from his military service, Jim reconnected with Betti Ries, who was teaching at West Holt High School in Atkinson. Jim then traveled to Dallas, Texas, and received his diploma in Radio Operator Licensing from the Elkins Institute on March 3, 1971, as well as a First Class Operator License from the Federal Communications Commission. Jim and Betti were married on June 19, 1971, and settled in Superior, where Jim worked at the television station based out of Hastings. Shortly thereafter, Jim and Betti moved to Kearney where Jim enrolled at Kearney State College. While taking classes, Jim volunteered as a junior high football coach at Kearney Catholic Junior High School. He graduated from Kearney State College in May 1973, with a bachelor's degree in business education and immediately accepted a teaching position at Kearney Catholic High School along with coaching duties. During his years at Kearney Catholic, Jim coached volleyball, football, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, and track, often alongside his coaching assistant and close friend, Father Jack Rademacher. After two short years, Jim was hired as the administrator at Kearney Catholic. He went on to receive his master's degree in education administration and several recognitions as a coach and administrator during his years at Kearney Catholic Jim and Betti welcomed their first child, Stacia, in the Spring of 1981; and Jim accepted the position as school administrator at Pope John XXIII High School in Elgin. Then, during the next three years in Elgin, Jim completed his specialist's degree in education administration. Jim and Betti welcomed their next child, Bill, in 1983, and the following year Jim accepted the position of superintendent at Niobrara Public Schools. Upon moving to Niobrara, Jim and Betti welcomed their third child, Christine. Jim served as superintendent and elementary principal in Niobrara for several years when he was approached by the Verdigre Board of Education to help the Verdigre Public School during the farm crisis and bank failures of the eighties. After some negotiating, the Niobrara and Verdigre Boards of Education worked out a plan for Jim to serve as the administrator at both schools while his family stayed at their home and attended school in Niobrara. In the summer of 1993, the family moved to Randolph, where Jim had accepted the position of superintendent at Randolph Public Schools. In Randolph, Jim took up the challenge of passing a bond issue to demolish the old high school and construct a new junior and senior high school. In July 1998, Jim was recruited and accepted the position of principal at his alma mater, St. Mary's. Among his accomplishments, there was the construction of the weight room and the introduction of the school lunch program. He also coached football and girls' basketball for a time at St. Mary's. In 2003, Jim accepted the position at Kenesaw Public Schools as superintendent. He took on another bond issue at Kenesaw and successfully oversaw the construction of a new gymnasium and track. Jim was proud of the bond issues he helped pass and the improvements made at the schools he served. In May 2013, Jim and Betti retired from education and moved to "the Farm" -- the Troshynski Homestead they had purchased from Jim's Uncle Tom in 1978. Jim assisted (supervised) his brother-in-law, Larry, during the construction of their retirement home at the farm. Jim will always be remembered as a builder as he focused on his family and the community he served. He had deep faith. He loved family, good company, gardening, automobiles, playing cards, and watching old cowboy movies. In his final years, Jim's Parkinson's diagnosis greatly hindered his ability to tackle the many projects he had planned for his retirement, but the family made many good and lasting memories at the farm. In his final hours, Jim was comforted with his wife and his three loving children at his side. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Mike and Lauretta (Murphy) Troshynski; sister, Muriel; brother, Richard; sister, Miriam, and brother-in-law, Erwin Murray and niece, Dorothy Murray; sister, Leona, and brother-in-law, Fritz Hershiser; sister, Betty, and brother-in-law, Dick Minton; brother, Michael, and sister-in-law, Evelyn Troshynski; mother-in-law, Gladys, and father-in-law, George Ries; sister-in-law, Marilyn, and Wayne Kruntorad; sister-in-law, Janice Ries; and brother-in-law/best friend, Larry Ries. Jim is survived by his loving wife of fifty-two years, Betti; daughter, Stacia, and son-in-law, Greg Brown and granddaughters, Eden and Ruby, of Kansas City, Missouri; son, Bill Troshynski, and daughter-in-law, Laura, and granddaughter, Emma of North Platte; daughter, Christine, and son-in-law, Andy Pryor, of Emmet; sisters-in-law, Carol Ries of Stuart, Bonnie Brown of Lincoln and Lin Ries of Atkinson; brothers-in-law, Jack (Kathy) Ries and Jim (Lois) Ries of Minnesota; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in memory of Jim. Service is at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Atkinson. Inurnment with military honors is at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Visitation is from 6-8 p.m. with Rosary at 7 p.m. Friday, March 8, at Seger Funeral Home, Atkinson. Seger Funeral Home, Atkinson, is in charge of arrangements.