Funeral services for 71-year old Rich Norgard of Wisner, NE, are Tuesday Sept. 28, at 10:30 CT at the United Methodist Church of Christ in Wisner.
Burial will be in Crawford, NE, at the Crawford Cemetery.
Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Monday at Minnick Funeral Home in Wisner and will continue on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
Memorials are suggested to the family to be placed in the Norgard Scholarship for Wisner-Pilger graduates seeking a health professional degree.
Richard Paul Norgard was born on Aug. 5, 1950, in Crawford to Lorenzo and Norma (Hansen) Norgard. He died Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.
Rich graduated from Crawford High School in 1968 as the class valedictorian. He attended Chadron State College for two years before transferring to the University Of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy, becoming president of his graduating class in 1973.
Rich was united in marriage on June 9, 1973, to Ann Buddenberg at the Banner Methodist Church in rural Gothenburg. Rich was employed at the Pender Apothecary until the couple purchased the Wisner Pharmacy on Sept. 1, 1980, and cared for his community there for 35 years until his retirement in 2015.
Rich was a member of the Wisner United Methodist Church of Christ, serving in various capacities. He was a member of Wisner Rescue for 10 years and was very involved in the Wisner community.
Rich loved being outdoors, whether it was on the annual Labor Day canoe trip down the Snake River or riding and later promoting the Pine Ridge Enduro.
He loved organizing and playing tennis on Wednesday evenings and enjoyed watching Husker and Wisner-Pilger Gator athletics. He was extremely proud of being from Crawford and the Pine Ridge area.
Survivors include his spouse, Ann Norgard of Wisner; his children, Nick Norgard of Kansas City, Mo.; Greg and Jenny Norgard of Fort Collins, Colo., (children Jaxon, Keegan and Kalia); Sheridan and Lauren Norgard of Georgia (sons Charlie and Jack); Kay Norgard of Georgia; siblings John and Elsie Norgard of Alabama, Teri Hlava of Lincoln and Roy and Donna Norgard of Crawford. Rich also is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Rich was preceded in death by his parents, Lorenzo and Norma Norgard.