Charles James Eret, of Seward, was born June 29, 1936, to James and Hattie Eret in Wilber.
He was born and raised on the family farm. Charles attended a country school as a child until his family moved to Fairbury, where he graduated from Fairbury High School in 1954. After graduation, he thought about being a mechanic, but he quickly decided that was not for him, so he became involved with the dirt moving operations. In 1955, he joined forces with Rolfsmeier Construction and realized that dirt moving was what he loved to do. Charles also realized that his trait was not just about moving dirt and leveling trees; it also involved making a grade with a 2% slope so water would drain off. Charles picked up this trait and was so good at it that he could determine the slope with just his feel for the land. On July 27, 1957, Charles was united in marriage to Bonnie Covert in Seward. Charles and Bonnie were married for 65 years and they were blessed with three daughters; Debra, Donna and Doreen. They lived in several places until the girls started school, so in 1962, they settled in Seward.
In 1974, Charles became owner/operator of Eret Construction. He operated this successful business in Seward and surrounding areas while making many friends along the way. Charles also spent many sleepless nights moving snow for businesses in Seward. His business remained in Seward until he reluctantly retired at the age of 82, (because his wife said so) due to him having nine serious operations in the previous years. In what little free time he had, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, mowing and watching Husker football and volleyball. Charles loved his life to the fullest, loved his family and loved moving dirt. He loved eating duck, dumplings and sauerkraut whenever he could. Charles passed away Oct. 13, 2022, in Seward, at the age of 86 years, 3 months, 14 days.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Eret of Seward; daughters, Debra (Dennis) Bender, Donna (Mike) Fitzsimons, and Doreen (Dale) Grimes, all of Seward; grandchildren, Dustin Bender of Concordia, Kansas, and Chelse (Kyle) Didriksen of Beaverton, Oregon; great-grandchild, Callen; brother, Frank (Judy) Eret of Seward; and sister, Vicki (Richard) Kuzelka of Wilber. Charles was preceded in death by his parents, James and Hattie Eret, and sister, Shirley Veprovsky.
The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Hillcrect Evangelical Free Church in Seward with interment at the Seward Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Eret family. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.volzkefuneralhome.com.
