John F. Rush

John F. Rush, 83, of Ponca, NE passed away on Monday, January 26, 2015 at his residence, while surrounded by his family and while in the loving care of Hospice of Siouxland, following a lengthy battle with COPD.Memorial services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ponca, NE. Burial will be in the Ponca Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will be held from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., with a scriptural wake service at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, January 30, 2015 at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Mohr Funeral Home in Ponca.John was born in rural Ponca, NE on July 24, 1931, the son of William and Helen (Curran) Rush. He graduated from Ponca High School in 1948, then joined his Dad's trucking company, Rush Trucking. At age 16 he bought a yellow 1948 Ford truck, then traded it for a 1951 Ford from Jack Knerl. He sold that to Duke and Frank Wellenstein before being drafted. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict from 1952 to 1954. John married Karen Lamprecht in 1959. To this union five children were born. The couple lived in Ponca all their lives. John bought Rush Trucking and operated it until his retirement around 2000. He sold Rush Trucking to his son, Jeff in 2012.John was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, a charter member of the Better Ponca Foundation, and 50 year member of the Ponca Fire Dept. He was also a member of the Ponca American Legion Post 117 and served on the Ponca City Council.John enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He also enjoyed talking on the phone, had a unique sense of humor and was very good with numbers.Survivors include his wife, Karen Rush of Ponca, NE; children and grandchildren, Kari (Gary) Richards of Ponca, and their children, Jennifer (Adam) Stark of Harrisburg, SD and Dan of Kelly, IA and Krystal of Ponca, Jill (Tommy) Brennan of Lincoln, NE and their children, Thomas and Jessica, Jeff (Heidi) Rush of Ponca and their children, Jada, Maya and George and Michael (Annie) Rush of Sioux City, IA and their children, Jahni, Sam and Finley; sisters, Virginia Watchorn of Oceanside, CA, Regina Vaughn of Bakersfield, CA and Alice (Earl) Cook of Holman, WI; and many nieces and nephews.John was preceded in death by his son, Kevin John Rush; an infant grandson; his parents, Bill and Helen Rush; a sister, Margaret Finnerty; and his in-laws, Amy and George Lamprecht.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for designation to be made at a later date.