Richard J Penas

Richard J. Penas, age 80, of Columbus, died Friday, November 20, 2020 at the Columbus Community Hospital.

A Private Family Mass will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2020 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Columbus. Visitation without the family present will be from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 27, 2020 at McKown Funeral Home. Burial will be at a later date in Ord, Nebraska. Military Honors will be conducted by Hartman Post #84 American Legion Honor Guard.

The Service on Saturday will be broadcast on the McKown Funeral Home Facebook Page starting at 10:30 a.m.  You can access the Facebook Page by clicking here .

Richard Penas was born on January 6, 1940, in Ord, Nebraska, to Edward and Agnes (Hruby) Penas. He was raised on the family farm outside of Ord. He attended the Rural Country School in Valley County and then graduated from Ord High School in 1957. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and graduated with his Electrical Engineering degree in 1962.

After his UNL graduation, he worked on the family farm for a little over a year, which is when he met his future wife Linda Vogeler. Rich began his engineering career at Nebraska Public Power System in 1964. After a merger in 1966, N.P.P.S. became Nebraska Public Power District. After a 35-year career with N.P.P.D., he retired as Manager Sub Station Engineer on April 23, 1999.

He joined the United States Army National Guard on November 22, 1963 and served honorably for six years.

Rich and Linda were married on February 27, 1965 in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ord, Nebraska. Once the newlyweds moved to Columbus, they became members of the St. Anthony Catholic Church. They lived their entire 55-year married life in Columbus, where they raised their five children.

Rich was a quiet, honest man who loved with all his heart and had deep faith. True joy came from being with his family. Family gathered at Rich and Linda's house every Christmas, summer, holidays, and many weekends through the year. Also, in the summers, camping and fishing trips were enjoyed with their children, family and friends and later included grandchildren. Rich was a man of many talents. He could fix anything around his house, helped friends with their home projects and had a collection of tools to support these efforts. He enjoyed woodworking and tinkering in his garage. Rich had a huge garden that stocked his family with fresh produce, which he also shared with the neighbors. Rich cherished the long-time friendships with neighbors and co-workers that included a card club, friends watching out for one another and their children. He enjoyed throwing horseshoes, traveling with friends and family, feeding and watching birds, and was an avid Husker fan cheering on the football and volleyball teams. He was a member of the Hartman Post #84 American Legion and the Knights of Columbus Council #938.

Rich is survived by his wife of 55 years, Linda (Vogeler) Penas; children Bryan (Maura) Penas, Lincoln, Nebraska, Christine (Keith) Robbins, Rock Hill, South Carolina, Alicia (Michael) Ostermeier, Keller, Texas, Stefan (Ann) Penas, Garland, Nebraska, and Nathan (Angela) Penas, Lincoln, Nebraska; 16 grandchildren Christopher Penas-Hull, Allison Penas-Hull, Nolan Robbins, Travis Robbins, Andrew Ostermeier, Spencer Ostermeier, Sierra Penas, Logan Penas, Dylan Penas, Ember Penas, Kaleigh Penas, Ashlyn Penas, Wyatt Penas, Natalie Kohmetscher, Madelyn Kohmetscher and William Kohmetscher; sister Dorothy Ross, Longmont, Colorado; brother-in-law Bill Vogeler, North Loup, Nebraska; sister-in-law Vicky Johnson, Nicholasville, Kentucky; sister-in-law Colene (Merlyn) Williams, Atkinson, Nebraska; sister-in-law Carol (Tom) Holt, Galveston, Texas; brother-in-law Craig (Nancy) Vogeler, North Loup, Nebraska; special cousin Mariann Toomey, Aurora, Colorado; and many additional cousins, nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his parents Edward and Agnes (Hruby) Penas; brother and sister-in-law Edwin (Lois) Penas; brother Paul Penas; brother-in-law Fred Ross; brother-in-law Mike Johnson; sister-in-law Nancy Vogeler and nephew Ryan Vogeler.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Anthony Catholic Church, Columbus, NE