George 'Gus' Pick

HARTINGTON — George G. “Gus” Pick, 87, Hartington, died, May 27, 2018, at the Hartington Care and Rehabilitation Center. Visitation and a Vigil service were May 30 at the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington, and continued Thursday, one hour prior to services at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Hartington. Mass of Christian Burial was May 31 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, with the Rev. Owen Korte officiating. Burial was at St. Michael’s Cemetery, Hartington. Pallbearers were Jimmy Pick, Kelly Pick, Tony Pick, John Pick, Jim Goble and Connor Pick. Honorary pallbearers were Taylor Pick, Caitlin Pick, Bonnie Jean Triplett, Zoe Clark, and Virginia Pick. George Gerald “Gus” Pick, the youngest of the William and Agatha (Berg) Pick family was born Feb. 11, 1931, in Hartington. He married Marilyn Marie (McGregor) Pick Sept. 1, 1953, in Hartington, and began building a legacy and a life on a family farm. Gus enjoyed the life of a Nebraska farmer and enjoyed farming with family north of Hartington for over 60 years. He raised cattle and hogs. He grew corn, oats, milo and soybeans for crops. He was innovative, creative and recognized as one of the first in Cedar County to irrigate crops and to utilize dryer bins for corn crops. He had a love of animals, especially for dogs. He raised and sold Weimaraner hunting dogs for a short time. He especially loved his golden retrievers, Mac and Elvis. In addition to a passion for farming, he was a lifelong Democrat (except for one day), a lifelong practicing Catholic and a proud member of the Holy Trinity Church. He was a notorious sports fan for high school, college or professional sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc.) and enjoyed a good card game of poker. George often pushed a “pause button” on work whenever his beloved Huskers were playing. In his younger years he enjoyed playing baseball, was an avid hunter, enjoyed stock car racing and being a little league basketball coach. He was a referee for sporting events and hung up his whistle and high tops for more time on the tractor. His greatest achievement in his life was his family. He and Marilyn were proud of their children and took pride in guiding them through life’s challenges and in taking time to celebrate family successes. He believed in the Good Life that Nebraska offers and that faith, family and friends made it all possible. He was especially proud of his grandkids and notorious for giving advice and wisdom to them with quotes like “hit the books” and “get to church.” Gus gave back to many local and national projects and especially to the Hartington community. Because of his commitment to his faith and church he made contributions to special projects important to him, including the Hartington Senior Center, the new Holy Trinity Rectory, funding the automatic door opener for the Holy Trinity church. As a true democrat he suggested it be installed on the left side of church. He also enjoyed spending time at the Senior Center as a volunteer and provided some of the wheels for the “Meals on wheels program.” He enjoyed visiting with everyone who would listen and talked politics to help solve the world’s problems, using his quick wit and fun sense of humor and was never shy to give his opinion. He gave generous personal time of his life while he served on many local boards such as the Hartington Public School Board, the Nebraska Pork Producers, Aksarben Ambassadors that honored pioneer families, County Assessor and the Cedar County Commissioners board to name a few. George is survived by his children, Stephen Michael Pick, Hartington; Terri Lee Thomas, Globe, Ariz.; Doug and Janice (Promes) Pick, Omaha; and Dan and Tina (Buckman), Omaha;Four grandchildren, Taylor Marie Pick, Connor Douglas Pick, Zoe Clark and Caitlin Pick all of Omaha; his oldest sister, Emma Hirschman, Omaha; and sisters-in-law, Virginia Pick, Norfolk, and Juliana Pick, Hartington. In lieu of flowers, Gus would wish for a kind donation to one of the following organizations that he supported, The Hartington Senior Center; Holy Trinity Parish, Hartington; or the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Marilyn; and son, Scott; his parents, William and Agatha; brothers, William Pick Jr., Alfred Pick, Herbert Pick and Raymond Pick; and sisters, Leone Allen and Monica Becker.