Lewis “Lew” Shoff, 84 of Kearney passed away Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at Mt. Carmel Home in Kearney. Memorial services will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 30, 2022 at Kearney First United Methodist Church. Burial will take place at a later date in Wymore, NE.

The bitter cold of last week was a lot to deal with and I know that many had struggles with it - pipes freezing, furnaces quitting, livestock to care for and those who were forced to travel in it. It was miserable.

The Arapahoe Cub Scouts Pack 236 were busy spreading Christmas Cheer! On Dec 18th, they went to visit the Arapahoe Food Pantry and took donations. Scouts made it a competition and Molly Leising won the prize for the most donations! A Big thank you to Howard Davis and Melody Adams for helping show the scout’s around! After the food pantry, the scouts joined local churches and community members while Christmas Caroling around Arapahoe.

The year 2022 had an interesting story to tell. Over the next two weeks, the Valley Voice will look back at the news made each week over the past year, some stories remembered and others already forgotten.

Barbara Ann Moser Votaw of Lincoln, Nebraska, age 82, passed away on December 23, 2022. Barbara, also known as Barb, was born September 20, 1940 to Martin William and Verna Lucille Moser. She was the youngest of four daughters. She spent her early years near Valley and Mead, Nebraska and graduated from Mead High School in 1958. She attended Luther College in Wahoo and toured the country with the choir.

The holiday season is full of examples of Nebraskans taking the time to help one another. Just think of the bells we hear and the red Salvation Army buckets we see at the entrances of the stores where we run our daily errands. The toy drives and free meals offered by organizations like People’s City Mission in Lincoln to Nebraskans who’ve fallen on hard times. Or the clothing donations and the outreach to the lonely and shut-ins that are put on by the diverse communities of faith across our state.