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Funeral services for 95-year old William “Bill” Yantzi of Chadron, NE, are Jan 20, 2024 at 10:00 at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Chadron.
Memorials have been established for St Patrick’s Catholic Church or Chadron Community Hospital-Hospice. Donations may be sent in care of Chamberlain Chapel, PO Box 970, Chadron, NE 69337.
Online condolences may be left at chamberlinchapel.com
William E Yantzi was born May 26, 1928, in O’Neill, NE, to Levi E and Kathryn (Maring) Yantzi. He passed away January 12, 2024, at his home at Prairie Pines in Chadron.
As a young boy living in O’Neill, Bill loved visiting his grandparents on the farm, riding horses, and hunting. His grandmother would always cook his game for him.
Growing up in the hard 30’s, Bill said he needed to work to get some change in his pockets, so after school while in the 8th grade he delivered magazines on Saturday. He also worked at the Corkle Hatchery and feed store after school and on Saturdays.
When in high school, he worked evenings as a bellboy at the Golden Hotel, where he also ran a shoeshine stand and cleaned the barber shop. During the summers, he worked in an ice plant pulling ice from brine tanks and filling them again to make more ice.
After graduating from high school in 1947, Bill drove truck for his brothers for one year, then joined Northwestern Bell Telephone Company on March 22, 1948. He started as a lineman on their construction crew in O’Neill and later he transferred to Sidney, NE.
In 1949, Bill married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Darlene Goeke. He worked in Sidney installing underground telephone cable and as a lineman on toll lines until 1951. He then transferred to the maintenance department in Chadron.
Bill moved to Chadron with Darlene and their daughter Peggy Lee, with Steve joining the family in 1952.
Bill worked in the Chadron telephone office as a switchman, then after attending several company schools became Northwestern Bell’s central office switchman and toll technician. He maintained central office dial equipment and in later years worked on microwave radio and fiber optic service.
Bill continued working there until retiring in 1990 with 43 years of service with the company. He was knowledgeable in electronics, and after retirement, he willingly helped people with telephones, televisions, and computer problems, never accepting any pay for his assistance.
He and Darlene moved to Prairie Pines in 2014 and lived there until the time of his death.
Surviving family members include his wife of 74 years Darlene; daughter Peggy Lee (Charlie) Wood of Chadron; son Steven (Cynthia) Yantzi of Kemmerer, WY; five grandchildren: Kevin (Dana) Wood of Broken Bow, NE; Lori (Curt) Helgoth of Lincoln, NE; Lindsay (Dr Jeff) Henning of Wenatchee, WA; Phillip (Tera) Yantzi of Jackson, WY; Julie Willman (Dr Kent Hutton)of Waterloo, NE; and 11 great-grandchildren: Tyler and Ava Wood; Will and Clara Helgoth; Becca, Alex and Elizabeth Henning; Ella and MJ Yantzi; Haley and Kaitlyn Willman; sister Nancy Derickson o O’Neill, NE; brother-in-law Clayton (Lura) Goeke; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Chamberlain Chapel of Chadron is in charge of arrangements for Bill Yantzi.