Burdette Thomsen

Hastings resident, Burdette Oliver Thomsen, 91, passed away Thursday, February 6, 2014 at Perkins Pavilion Good Samaritan Society-Hastings Village, Hastings, Nebraska.

Celebration of Life will be Saturday, February 15, 2014; 2:00 P.M. at First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, Hastings. Private family burial will be held at a later date. There will be no viewing or visitation as his wishes were to be cremated. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to Central Community College, Hastings, Nebraska or Southern Hills Golf Course.

Burdette Oliver Thomsen was born September 19, 1922 to Adolph & Pearl (Wylie) Thomsen at Minden, Nebraska. He was a graduate of Minden High School and served in the Navy during World War II at Sitka Alaska and aboard the USS Wyandot in the South Pacific. The ship was hit by a bomb dropped by a Kamikaze plane in the invasion of Okinawa. Burdette was an escort for Olivia de Haviland when she visited the service men in Alaska. He married Darlene "Tommy" Tomsen of Minden, Nebraska on July 12, 1944. They moved to Hastings, Nebraska in 1949 where he was an auto mechanic, sold auto equipment for Sun Electric, and became an instructor at Central Community College in 1966 to 1985 when he retired to enjoy golfing and his family. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Southern Hills Golf Course, Eagles, V.F.W., American Legion, and a past member of the Elks.

Burdette was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Delynn, Darrell, and Gary; sister, Joan Offner; step-father, Paul Musgrave; and step-sister, Marilyn Claar.

Survivors include:
His wife of 69 years:
Darlene "Tommy" Thomsen - Hastings, NE
Sons & Spouses:
Dr. Steven & Danielle Thomsen - Lawrence, KS
Gary & Linda Thomsen - Hastings, NE
Scott & Julie Thomsen - Hastings, NE
John Thomsen - Hastings, NE
Grandchildren:
13
Great-Grandchildren:
25
Sister:
LaVon Johnson - Prescott Valley, AZ
Step-Sister:
Mavis Glantz - Lincoln, NE
Sisters-in-law:
Eleanor Thomsen - Holdrege, NE
Ty Thomsen - Lincoln, NE
Pat Kuppinger - Thornton, CO
Many other relatives and friends