Goodbye, dear friends

Letter to Editor

This last week, the Perkins County community lost two outstanding men. Their passing has left a gigantic void in this area of Southwest Nebraska. Dr. Paul Bottom and Glenn Taubenheim left their very positive mark on this community by what they did in their profession and in their private lives.

Dr. Bottom served this community in the medical profession and was a dedicated physician for many years. He was knowledgeable, compassionate and took the extra step in treating his patients. As most people know, Dr. Bottom’s medical practice was not limited to this area but also to Africa where he became a medical missionary for a number of years. 

Dr. Bottom was truly a dedicated professional man and made this county a better place to live. He touched many lives in this community. He was my doctor during the time I was having heart trouble and eventually a heart attack and I could not have gotten any better medical attention than I got from Dr. Bottom.

Glenn Taubenheim was also cut from the same material as Dr. Bottom. Both of these men must have had “service” somewhere as part of their name on their birth certificates. 

Glenn wasn’t in the medical profession, but he certainly provided aid to help make a lot of people improve their skills. He was a leader in his profession as the head man at Sargent Irrigation and he also was a leader in the community as a part of city government and serving on city boards, etc. 

He also was one of the most dedicated people in Perkins County when it came to support of the schools and the various activities that were a part of the schools. I had the opportunity to work with Glenn on many projects starting in the 1970s through the 2009 school year. 

He was on the football chain gang crew for more years than I can remember. Glenn along with Larry Kroeker were pretty much responsible for starting and providing the equipment for the Perkins County weight training program. He was in charge of the timers and pickers for track meets for decades and at one point told me to just let him take care of getting the crew and training them. I knew it would get done and it did. 

Glenn was also one of the first, if not the first, I contacted whenever I needed funds for a project. He never let me down. He was also available for whatever we needed. He was a great boss at Sargent Irrigation where my wife, Marlene, worked for 26 years and our son Travis worked during his college summers. He was a great father, husband, and a top of the list grandfather. 

Both of these men I considered as my friend. They will be missed by most of the people in this area. May they both rest in peace.

 

The Grant Tribune-Sentinel

308-352-4311 (Phone)

PO Box 67
327 Central Ave in Grant
Grant NE 69140