William Dean Johansen, age 91, of Osceola, Nebraska, passed away August 4, 2024 at Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Hospital in Osceola.

Funeral services will be held Friday, August 9, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Osceola with Father Allan Phan officiating. Visitation will be held Thursday, August 8 from 4:30 to 6:30 with a 6:30 Rosary at the church. Interment will be in the Osceola Cemetery with Military Rites by Osceola Legion Post.

Bill was born September 11, 1932 in Osceola, Nebraska to Arthur and Alice (Kershaw) Johansen. He attended elementary school at Dist. 68 and graduated from Osceola High School in 1950. Following high school he began farming before entering the military. He served in the Army from February 11, 1953 to February 10, 1955 during the Korean war. He returned home and began working for the Co-op Oil Station for two years.

On December 3, 1959 he was united in marriage to Nadine Marie Jaax at St. Johns Church in Omaha on the Creighton Campus. To this union two children were born. The family lived in Osceola.

Bill continued working for the Co-op and started driving the propane truck until 1973 and then drove the gas truck. During this time he also began driving the school bus for Osceola Public Schools. After 36 years of driving truck for the Co-op he retired in 1993. He continued driving the school bus until retiring in 2004.

He was a member of St. Vincent Catholic Church in Osceola, Osceola Legion Post 91 for 70 continuous years and was part of the Honor Guard for 60 years.

He enjoyed playing cards, dancing and listening to Big Bands. He was a sports fan and enjoyed baseball, following the Osceola Bulldogs, and UNL women’s basketball. He participated in CRAN (Car Ride Across Nebraska) for 10 years.

Survivors include his sons Kelley (Jo) Johansen and Andy (Jane) Johansen both of Columbus; four grandchildren- Kacie (Mark) Athey; Katie (Scott) Willcockson; Ashley (Chris) Peters; and Morgan Johansen; two great grandchildren- Padric and Evelyn Athey; sisters Dorothy Cole of Columbus, Joanie Sterup of Stromsburg; sisters-in-law Janet Johansen of Osceola, Geraldine Braithwait of Schuyler, and JoAnn (Kenny) Donelson of Stromsburg; and a host of other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Alice Johansen; his wife Nadine who passed away December 24, 2022; brothers Eugene ‘Jinx’ Johansen, Bob (Margie) Johansen, Gerald Johansen and Dennis Johansen; one sister Patricia (David) Richards; two brothers-in-law Jim Sterup and Gene Cole.

Memorials are suggested to St. Vincent’s Catholic Church or to the family to be designated later.

Dubas Funeral Home of Osceola and Stromsburg has been entrusted with arrangements. Dubasfuneralhome.com