Dorchester Times: Dorchester's Jack Bruha Passes At 87

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Dorchester's Jack Bruha Passes At 87

Jack LeRoy Bruha was born July 13, 1934 in Omaha to Frank and Creola “Sidy” (Niehardt) Bruha and passed away on Sunday, Dec. 5 at his home in Dorchester at the age of 87.

As a young boy, Jack attended a country school south of the home place and later graduated from Dorchester High School with the class of 1952. He enlisted into the US Army in 1953 and was honorably discharged in 1955. Jack was united in marriage to Ann Jelinek on Jan. 4, 1958, in Wahoo, and to this union five boys were born: John, Jim, Tim, Don, Brian. Together they lived in the Dorchester area their entire lives, ultimately moving into 1012 Fulton Ave. in the early 1970s.

Jack had various jobs over the years, but mainly was a heavy equipment operator for NL Cole Construction and JJ Westhoff Construction, retiring at the age of 83. Over the years, Jack loved watching his children and grandchildren’s athletic events and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and going on hunting and fishing trips with his friends and family. He was a member of the Dorchester American Legion and the Dorchester Fire Department.

Jack is survived by his wife, Ann, Dorchester; sons and daughters-in-law, John and Rochelle Bruha, Dorchester, Jim and Tracy Bruha, Wickenburg, Ariz., Tim Bruha and Diane Bruha, Crete, Don and Tricia Bruha, Lincoln; grandchildren, Shelena and Dan Neeman, Dorchester, Brandon Bruha and special friend, Cassidy Olson, also of Dorchester, Alexis and Andrew Gothier, Laurel, Neb., Bailey and David Smaus, Yuma, Ariz., Ethan and Seth Bruha, both of Lincoln; five great-grandchildren, including one more on the way; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Jelinek, Lincoln, Pat Bruha, Milford; several nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents, son, Brian, in 1988, a brother, Dale Bruha, a sister, Carol Hrdlicka, three brothers-in-law, Carl and Lawrence Jelinek and Bob Hrdlicka.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Friend, with Fr. Leo Seiker officiating. A rosary will be recited at 10 a.m., also on Saturday. The family suggests casual attire. A luncheon will be provided after the mass in the parish hall, followed by a graveside committal at Dorchester Cemetery.

Visitation is Friday, Dec. 10, at Lauber Funeral Home, Friend, from 1-8 p.m. with family receiving relatives and friends from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Pallbearers are: Ethan Bruha, Seth Bruha, Andrew Gothier, Brandon Bruha, David Smaus, Danny Neeman, and Jimmy Jelinek. Honorary Pallbearers are: Alexis Gothier, Bailey Smaus, Harold Axline, Greg Tyser, and Shelena Neeman. Memorials may be directed to the family for future designation.

1 comment:

AnonymousDecember 8, 2021 at 8:43 PM
Jack was one great guy and a loyal Dorchesterite!!!
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."