The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-11-10
Death Calls Julius peaner.

home at 500 South Fourth street Sat.
urday afternoon. Old age was the
cause of death. Mr.. Degner was rs
years old last June. He has been
ailing for several months. Besides
the aged widow of 76 years, he leaves
three sons-Albert of this city; Jul
Illus and Fred of Hadar; three daugh.
ters-Mrs. August Pasewalk of this
city; Mrs. Fred Neumacher OF Wis
con and Mrs. Fred Butzke OF Cook
Neb.
The funeral services will be held
by Rev. j. =. Mueller from the family
home and later at the Christ Lutheran
church Tuesday afternoon.
Interment will be in the new Ger
man Lutheran cemetery. This new
cemetery is partly due to Mr.. Deg
ner's efforts.
The funeral of this old and popular
pioneer comes on election day-a day
when he has usually been seen ming
ling with the aspirants for public Of
fees. His home has for a number of
years been used as polling place and
no election day has passed without
Mr.. Degner taking some active part
in aiding the work of election judges
1t was only recently because of Mr.
Degner's failing health that it was de-
cided to remove the election booth
from his home. All his children will
be present at the funeral
julius Desner's Career.
What more could man desire than
to have helped in the founding of a
town as one of its pioneers, to have
learned while young to work with the
hands and to have thus made an hon
est living, to have been one of the
founders of the first church in a new
frontier, to have reared a family of
highly respected sons and daughters,
to have built his own home with his
own hands and, in maturer years, to
dwell in peace and quiet, taking an
active interest in the public affairs
friendship and good will of ones
neighbors?
Such a career-a career OF peace
and thrift and community respect
was that of julius Frederick Wilhelm
Degner of this city, pioneer black
smith of Norfolk, always prominent
in the public affairs Of the commun-
ity, father of ten children and even
in his seventeen year councilman of
the Second ward.
1t was forty-five years ago last
month that julius Degner first set
foot on the ground where Norfolk
stands today. The village had just
started. He came from Wisconsin to
look over Nebraska and, satisfied that
Norfolk was bound to make prosper
Gus town. he determined to locate
here. lie returned TO Wisconsin, got
his family and, in the spring of 1870,
came back to Norfolk to make his
| permanent homo,
Together with his brother, Fred Mr..
Degner built the first blacksmith shop
! in Norfolk. The building stood where
the Priben'w shop stands today, at
the foot " Braasch avenue on the
bank of .he Northfork river.
Both ssothers took homesteads east
| of tbp town-on part of the julius
Deg1er homestead Fred Schwede lives
| at the present time. After having
conducted the blacksmith shop for
some time, these brothers sold out
the business and went on their home
steads to engage in farming. And in
| 1876 julius Degner returned to town
to start a new blacksmith shop. This
shop he built on the present site of
the hardware store of his son, Al Deg
ner. And he worked actively at his
trade until late in the eighties.
| Mr.. Degner at that time built a
home on North Third street. Today
part of that old house serves as the
wagon shop Of August Pasewalk. In
fact, Mr.. Degner taught his trade to
| August Pasewalk as we'll as to Otto
Buchel.
| Twenty-Five years ago, after he had
retired from active work, Mr.. Degner
built the home on South Fourth street
in which he lived until he died. He
| did the work on this residence with
his own hands.
| Many Times on City Council.
Many times has julius Degner been
called upon to serve as member OF
| lHt LNOIlOlh Illy NoullSil' iiS "eho AZ ~
elected to this position by democrats
of the Second ward in 1896 and he
served during the mayoralty admins
trations of DR.. A. Bear, the late Col
j. E. Simpson, the late W. NJ. Robert
son and the late d. j. Koenigstein
Then for five years there was vaca
ton from city council work, until the
spring of 1904 he was again elected
to the place.
One significant fact stands out in
Mr.. Degner's service as city council
man. During all of the years that he
was member of the council, he al
all times chairman of the street ant
alley committee. Not only had he the
time and ability to act in this capa
city, but he was conscientious in de
voting his energies to the work. He
also served on the public works anC
the police committees.
Golden Wedding in 1909.
In 1909 Mr.. and Mrs. Degner cele
brated their golden wedding. 1t wa!
in 1859 that they were married il
Germany and they contemplate ;
large celebration two years hence.
This golden wedding was in lint
| uith tho family pnStnm &c Mr. nao