John L. Schurr

John L. Schurr, 79, of Farnam, died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney on Saturday, January 4, 2020.

John L. was born December 21, 1940, to John and Estella Schurr in Farnam where he grew up on the family farm. John graduated from Farnam High School in 1958 then attended the University of Nebraska and Colorado State University until the death of his dad in 1960 brought him back to work on the farm. In 1961 he started raising purebred Angus cattle and farming with his brother, Jerry, then in 1983 they added a purebred Charolais herd to the ranch.

On April 4, 1965, John married Kay Schultheiss in North Platte. The couple lived west of Farnam and had three sons, all who became part of the Schurrtop Angus and Charolais Ranch, which has been a farming, cattle feeding, and purebred operation going on four generations. John was proud that each son earned national recognition on livestock judging teams.

John had a great love for cattle and over the years served on numerous committees in the Angus and Charolais breeds. He served two terms on the American Angus Association Board of Directors, was on the Certified Angus Beef Board, a member of the Angus Foundation, Past Director of the Nebraska Angus Association, and Director of Farm Credit Services.

Schurrtop has been recognized in competitions including the National Western Stock Show in Denver where he exhibited his cattle for 50 consecutive years, the Great Western Beef Expo, and Beef Empire Days in Kansas where they won the coveted Brookover Award. John had been recognized with numerous awards over the years and was selected as Nebraska Angus Association 2010 Producer of the Year.  He had a true passion for cattle feeding and believed in letting the merits of his cattle do the talking.

Along with his work, John was also active in the Farnam community where he served on various boards for school, church and the Gothenburg Hospital Foundation. He was a 4-H club leader for 35 years and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Gothenburg. He was also a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, and the Colorado Livestock Association. He will be remembered for his work across the beef industry.

He is survived by his wife, Kay, of Farnam; sons, Marty Schurr, and his children, Adalyn and Gavon, all of Maywood and Ryan (Kari) Schurr and their children, Luke and Reese, all of Farnam; brother, Jerry Schurr, of Farnam; sister, Janet (John) Speck, of St. Paul; brother-in-law, Dean (Marcia) Schultheiss, of Orange, California; sisters-in-law, Rose Ann Young, of Martinez, Georgia and Virginia (Jerry) Kasha, of Canton, Georgia; as well as other family.

John was preceded in death by his son, Wayne; his father, John; mother and stepfather, Estella and LeRoy Tillotson; and sister-in-law, Linda Schurr.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gothenburg. Burial will be in the Maywood Cemetery at 3:30 p.m. followed by a gathering in the Maywood Community Hall. Visitation will be Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with family greeting friends from 5-7 p.m. at Odean Colonial Chapel in North Platte. Online condolences may be shared at odeanchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be used for local organizations in the Farnam/Maywood communities.  Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore is in charge of arrangements.