Doris E. (Huelle) McCracken was born July 7, 1932, to Herman and Dorothy (Reikofski) Huelle on a farm near Newman Grove.
She grew up in the Tilden area and graduated from Tilden High School in 1949. Some of her earliest memories include piling into a friend’s car to go roller skating at the rink in Neligh and going to movies. She also started working at an early age, manning the local telephone switchboard on overnight shifts. She met Don in 1953, while they were both working at Hinky Dinky in Lincoln, and they were married June 11, 1954. Don and Doris had two daughters – Connie, born March 8, 1955, and Jeri, born June 27, 1959. They moved from Lincoln to Beaver Crossing in 1966, and then to Kearney in 1973.
After retirement, they settled back at Beaver Crossing. Doris always liked to keep busy and held a variety of jobs throughout her life. She worked at Hinky Dinky in both Lincoln and Kearney, and at the Lincoln Public library and the Beaver Crossing school library. She and Don bought the tavern in Beaver Crossing, and she ran that during the day. After selling the tavern, she set up a lawn mowing business with her good friend, Sherry Noler, and she also ran a detasseling crew. In Kearney, after leaving Hinky Dinky, she worked at a local bank for several years. She liked the outdoor chores of lawn mowing and snow shoveling. She enjoyed camping and traveling with Don to his military reunions. She was a fan of Cornhusker volleyball and football and liked watching car racing with Don.
Doris is preceded in death by her husband, Don; her parents; brother, James; brothers-in-law, Arthur McCracken and George McCracken, Norval Hansen, Harv Robinson, Kenneth Weber and Arthur Ricenbaw; sisters-in-law, Norma McCracken, Margaret McCracken, Lorraine Hansen, Ruth Robinson, Wilma Weber and Norma Ricenbaw.
She is survived by daughters, Connie (Kim) Duncan of Grand Island, and Jeri McCracken (Alan Ardron) of Harrington, NSW, Australia; grandchildren, David Duncan, Grand Island, and Stephanie Duncan Steburg, Grand Island; great-grandsons, Kyle, Jared and Landon; and niece, Debra Fette, Beaver Crossing.
The funeral service was May 22 at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Goehner. Memorial contributions are suggested to the church. Arrangements by Lauber Funeral and Cremation Services.
