Jacobsen Greenway Funeral Home

Van Pelt, 84, of Dannebrog died Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at Howard County Medical Center in St. Paul.Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the United Methodist Church in St. Paul. The Rev. Dr. Russ Anderson will officiate. Graveside services will be held at a later date in the Central City Cemetery.Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul.Memorials are suggested to the St. Paul United Methodist Church or the Howard County Historical Society.Roger was born Dec. 29, 1933, on a farm near Archer to Leonard and Vera (Woodward) Van Pelt.He attended school in Archer until transferring to Palmer his junior year to play football. He graduated from Palmer Public School in 1952. He then attended Milford Community College, majoring in mechanics, before serving in the United States Army.Following his military service, he was united in marriage to Edith Burch on Oct. 13, 1956, at the Palmer parsonage.The couple lived and farmed near Archer until 1966 when they moved to the Dannebrog area in order to take advantage of the Sherman Irrigation Project. In 1970, they purchased a farm northwest of Dannebrog where they made their home and continued to farm for many years.“Pops,” as he was called by his children, loved watching his grandchildren play ball and followed all of their activities. His brothers and sisters lovingly referred to him as “Bill,” in reference to Will Rogers, a well-known comedian at the time. This was very fitting, as Roger was always known for a hearty laugh and a gentle smile.Roger also enjoyed fellowship at “Thursday Coffee” with his church family and rarely missed exchanging good-humored ribbing with his coffee shop crew at the Skyline Café each morning.He was a member of the United Methodist Church in St. Paul, Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119 of St. Paul, and the Howard County Historical Society.Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Mark and Patti Van Pelt of Dannebrog and Rod and Pam Van Pelt of Lexington; six grandchildren and spouses, Jared and... (Grand Island Independent)