Larry A. Tonniges

Aug. 12, 1955 – May 17, 2022

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Larry was born on Aug. 12, 1955, to Melvin and Doris (Giebelman) Tonniges in York, Nebraska.

He was baptized on Aug. 28, 1955, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and confirmed on March 30, 1969, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gresham, Nebraska. He graduated from Gresham High School in 1973. In 1986, Larry met his best friend, Susan Kamprath. On Feb 18, 1989, they were united in marriage and together they blended their families into one large, amazing family and made it a priority to treat all their children and grandchildren fairly and equally. She was the love of his life and together they worked side by side on the farm throughout their marriage.

Larry was a farmer … it was in his heart, in his soul, it’s what he was born to do. He grew up on the family farm and was a proud fifth generation farmer who still farmed part of his family’s original farmstead. While he wasn’t always the most talkative person in general, if you got him talking about farming, he could talk for hours. You could feel the passion and wisdom in his voice as he spoke. He had a great memory and could recall not only what crop but what hybrid was planted when and where and how it performed.

His mechanical knowledge was endless and there was no problem he couldn’t figure out how to fix – he was MacGyver. He also loved to mentor young farmers. He understood how important it was for him to share his knowledge and experience and how that helped them learn and understand the job of farming. His passion and commitment were recognized in 2017 as Tonniges Brothers Farms was honored as the Seward Kiwanis Farm Family of the Year.

As much as he loved farming, he loved watching his children and grandchildren in their various activities even more. He and Susan made attending those activities a priority and you could see the overwhelming pride beam from his face as he watched them. Family was very important to Larry, and he was ultra-protective of his crew. He enjoyed boating and riding jet skis and looked forward to the annual family trip to Calamus. It was his chance to take a moment to relax and enjoy his family during the middle of a hectic summer. He would drive past what he thought was the most scenic spot in Nebraska on the way there each year and re-tell the stories of traveling there as a young man delivering farm equipment in the area.

In addition to farming, Larry also raised cattle for many years and embraced that work with the same passion and excitement that he had for raising crops. In recent years, Larry replaced raising cattle with a spot on the Nebraska Soybean Board. He was a past Chairman of the Board’s Research Committee and the Nebraska Representative on the North Central Research Program from 2016-2018. He truly embraced and enjoyed that position and took great pride in his role and the impact the board had on the farming community. He worked at both Polk County Equipment and York Equipment before becoming a full-time farmer in 1982. He was also a proud member of the Sons of the American Legion. Larry was a great man who was committed to his family and his work, and he will be dearly missed. He passed away peacefully on May 17, 2022, doing what he loved.

Cherishing his memories include his wife, Susan Tonniges of Utica; son, Jeremy (Bobbie) Tonniges of Seward; daughters, Allison (Jim) Henderson of Glenwood, Iowa, Tara (Dave) Stava of Weston, Krista (Jon) Burhoop of Seward, Cari (Josh) Schoepf of Seward; grandchildren, Kelsey Henderson, Thomas Henderson, Haille Franzen, Zac Tonniges, Alex Tonniges, Hayden Burhoop, Cody Henderson, Brennan Burhoop, Jamison Stava, Dawson Alley, Justin Stava, Lauren Alley, Atley Schoepf, Jesse Stava, Evyana Schoepf; great grandchildren, Kaiden Stone, Octavia Henderson, Olivia Henderson; sister, Linda (Dave) Sjuts of York; brothers, Brian (Dana) Tonniges of Johnson Lake, Doug (Denise) Tonniges of Gresham, Brad (Ann) Tonniges of Columbus. He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Doris Tonniges, his parents-in-law, Marv and Bea Kamprath, and his brother-in-law, Scott Kamprath.

The funeral service was May 24 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward with private committal at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery near Utica. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Tonniges family. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.volzkefuneralhome.com.