by Theodore Wiesehan

    When Rupert Bereuter passed away Sept. 5, 2006, he left a legacy of service and dedication that will continue to impact residents of his lifelong hometown for years to come.
     "He was a one of a kind gentleman," Utica Village Board Chairman Jim Swanson said. "He thought through things very, very carefully. Oh golly's sakes, he was just so much into Utica that he would do anything that he possibly could to help Utica become a better community."
     From the senior center, to Centennial school, to economic development and civic improvement organizations to St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, Bereuter served as officer, chairman, advisor or in whatever capacity he was needed.
     In 1968, Nebraska Gov. Norbett T. Tiemann recognized Bereuter for his widespread civic involvement with a leadership award.
     "He was always willing to help out wherever he was needed," Utica Senior Center Director Ardella Bredwell said. "I had him on kind of a regular schedule to help with washing the pots and pans after our meals."
     Bereuter served as chairman at the center for four years and helped to bring the center to Utica.
     "Rupert came to our house when we had our first meeting with the person from the county and he's worked faithfully all through the years," Bredwell said. "He was on our aging commission from the start."
     "He was a just a great civic-minded individual," Swanson said. "Anything that he felt would be good for Utica he was very willing to help with."
     Rupert's son Doug Bereuter, former U.S. Representative for the first district of Nebraska, said that his father was so attached to the community that the longest he left Utica during his lifetime was for three weeks when Doug took him to Europe.
     He was a lifelong member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Utica where he served in many different capacities in the congregation.
     Rupert also worked with the York Circuit of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to ease the financial burden of church-workers circuit.
     "(He had) a love for the church and an appreciation for the pastors and teachers of the Lutheran church," the Rev. John Burger, pastor at St. Paul, said. "Rupert's memorial went toward the elimination of church-worker debt. That was something that he had started. He recognized that church-workers that come out of our colleges and seminaries came out with a lot of debt."
     In fact, he met his wife, Evelyn (Tonn) Bereuter, when she was called to teach at St. Paul Lutheran School in 1929. Seven years later the two were married.
     Christian education held a special place in Evelyn's heart, as she graduated from Concordia Teacher's College, Seward, and taught in Lutheran schools. She established her memorial for the purchase of books for the St. Paul school library.
     "Evelyn was very educationally-minded, having gotten her education degree at Concordia College," Burger said. "She really wanted to see that Christian education was fostered and that (memorial) was one way of putting that forward."
     Those who knew them testified to the couple's closeness. From square dancing to home Husker football games, Rupert and Evelyn were inseparable.
     "He and his wife were very much active members of St. Paul's," Burger said. "Especially toward the end what people remember is...even in inclement weather you could see Rupert and Evelyn walking hand-in-hand down the sidewalk to a social or a church event."
     They lived independently in their own home until Evelyn's death July 1, 2006. Rupert served as her caretaker as her health declined.
     "He kind of lost the will to live after my mother passed," Doug Bereuter said.
     "It was certainly difficult for the family to lose both their parents, but it was very apparent that the Lord was working in it," Burger said of the the couple's passing away within a short amount of time of one another. "It was a story of God's love and grace the whole time."
     The Bereuter family has lived in Utica for 135 years, according to Doug Bereuter, and Rupert was the last remaining member in Seward County.
     Bereuter's father and grandfather were Utica merchants. He joined the family business and was partner and owner of Bereuter Garage for more than 60 years.
     "My father has always been my hero - someone I wanted to emulate," Doug Bereuter said. "(He was) so calm and patient...and never had a bad word to say to anybody."