Kathryn M. Safranek age 94 of Merna died May 11, 2022, at the Brookefield Park
Nursing Home in St. Paul.
Funeral services will be Friday May 20, 2022, at 10:30 AM at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow with Pastor Jason Krause officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date at the Merna Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Thursday May 19, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM with the family greeting friends 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Govier Brothers. Memorials are suggested to the Kathryn Safranek Memorial.
Kathryn Mae Meyer was born on September 23, 1927, at Berwyn Ne. to George W. Meyer and Pauline Shirkey Cox. Her whole life was spent in Custer County. She attended Broken Bow High School through the 11th grade. She married Johnnie R Adams of Callaway on September 14, 1947. To this union were born Steven Adams (Barbara) of Broken Bow, Sandra McCarty (Vic) of Lincoln, and Peggy Jensen (Dave) of Elba.
Katie helped Johnnie on the farm, worked at Master Cleaners, Hesteds, and Becton Dickinson before helping Johnnie run the Garbage Service in Broken Bow. Katie was preceded in death by Johnnie in July of 1967.
Katie married Karl Safranek on August 10th, 1968. They made their home on Karl’s farm at Merna, Ne. This marriage added stepsons Jim Markham (Phyllis) of Merna, Bennie Markham (Glenna) of Aurora, and Harold Markham (Alice) of Texas to Katie’s family. She worked beside Karl on the farm, working cattle, fixing fence, driving grain trucks, bookkeeping for Karl Safranek Machinery business, and going along on buying trips for more tractors. Karl preceded Katie in death in November of 1996.
Katie lived her life to the fullest. She was a league bowler for many years. She was an active Does member in the 1960’s. She was an accomplished sewer and passed that skill on to Sandy and Peggy. She loved to read until her macular degeneration became too bad. The last thing she regularly read was her Guideposts. Katie loved playing cards, pinochle, pitch, skipbo with the grandkids, farmers rummy whenever family was visiting, and solitaire when home by herself. Katie never met a slot machine she didn’t like. A trip out of town usually added a new teapot or salt and pepper set to her collections. Katie was active and loved her church Emmanuel Lutheran in Merna. Katie was the designated driver for her group of lady friends. They attended many shows, concerts, and shopping trips out of town. Katie lived at her home on the farm until moving to Rose Lane Home in Loup City Ne, in May 2018. Katie always said it was a good place to be if she couldn’t still live at home. She remained in good health until breaking her hip a week before her death on May 11th.
Katie was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, her siblings Bessie Gremm, Joy Kolbo, Helen Yantzie, Ronald Meyer, Harry Meyer, Vanetta Anderson, and Dona Allen Burnworth, stepsons Jim Markham, Bennie Markham, Harold Markham, and grandson Robert Markham. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and brothers-in-law Larry (Burny) Burnworth and Herman Safranek (Detta).
