Luverne Hertzke
November 26, 1920 – April 13, 2013
92, Greeley, CO

Luverne Hertzke, 92 of Greeley died Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the NCMC Hospice Inpatient Unit. He was born November 26, 1920 in Middle Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada to Adolph and Margaret (Seibold) Hertzke who homesteaded there for two years before moving back to Iowa.

He moved with his family to Boulder, Colorado in 1929 and graduated from Boulder High School in 1939 before moving to Greeley. He farmed several properties in Weld County with his father, Adolph, and brother, Lawrence, when World War II broke out.

He entered the US Army on October 20, 1942 and after basic training and radio school joined the 583 Signal Air Warning Battalion as a radio repairman for a radar company. He served 2 years in New Guinea and the Philippines. He was discharged on November 29, 1945 as Tec 4.

Luverne met his future wife, Annie Louise Calder, at Luther League functions in Greeley before the war, and they carried on a long distance romance while he was stationed in the Pacific. They were married on December 28, 1945 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Greeley.

With A.R. Hertzke & Sons he resumed farming after the war. In 1956 he established, with his brother Lawrence, Hertzke Brothers Farms, an award-winning dairy operation west of Greeley, retiring in 1979. After retirement, he remained busy with various business interests, travel and the family’s mountain cabin at Red Feather.

He was a long standing member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Farm Bureau, Greeley Knife and Fork Club, various dairy groups and boards. He and Annie enjoyed a wide social life that included an association of West Greeley farm couples known as the Saturday Night Group, as well as a birthday club, a card playing group, and extended family gatherings.

Survivors include his three children, daughters Linda Neely of Ormond Beach, Florida and Nancy Salser of Greeley, and son Allen Hertzke (Barbara Norton) of Norman, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Sandra (Eric) Fletcher of Meridian, Idaho; Todd (Amy) Diehl of Bedford, Texas; Chris (Beth) Diehl of Fairfield, Iowa; Casey (Jessica) Neely of St. Johns, Florida; Jodi (Matt) Delong of Indian Trail, North Carolina; Patrick (Rachael) Hertzke of Rochester Hills, Michigan; and Simon Hertzke of Glendale, Arizona; 8 great-grandchildren; brothers, Lawrence and Eugene Hertzke.

He was preceded in death by his wife on May 22, 2012; a son, Edwin, who died shortly after birth, a daughter, Rosemary Diehl, and sister, Vivian Weishaupt.

Visitation at 10:00 A.M. with services to follow at 11:00 A.M. Friday, April 19, 2013 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. A luncheon reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall. Interment at 2:00 P.M. at Linn Grove Cemetery.

Memorial gifts may be made to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church or Hospice of Northern Colorado in care of Allnutt, 702 13th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Friends may view the online obituary and send condolences at www.allnutt.com.