Longtime North Platte businesswoman, Lucille Hord, died Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, at Granbury, TX, at the age of 101. She moved to Texas in 2018 to live near her daughter, Bette Thalken.
Lucille was born in Quinter, KS, on May 24, 1920, to Harry and Grace
Higgason, the oldest of 5 siblings. In 1938, just out of high school,
Lucille took a job at the Quinter newspaper. Soon after, a charming
young man named Clark Hord arrived in Quinter and also took a job at the same local paper. Clark and Lucille married a year later, in 1939.
Owning newspapers/print shops would remain a constant in both their
lives beginning with several locations in Kansas then when they moved to North Platte in 1952 they purchased and operated The Lincoln County
Tribune. Besides being the company's bookkeeper, Lucille was a
linotype operator and was known in the business to be one of the best.
When linotype machines were no longer used for setting type, Lucille
made the transition to computers. She was still sending emails and
checking on her family on Facebook well into her 90s.
Following the death of her husband, Clark, in 1978, Lucille continued
operating Hord Printing Inc. and was well known in the North Platte
business community for her hard work. She was a past president of the
North Platte Altrusa Club and was recognized as the 1994 Woman of
Achievement in Business by the North Platte Chamber of Commerce.
Clark and Lucille raised seven children, who all benefited and learned
from Lucille's love, hard work and sacrifice. As she became a
grandmother, a great-grandmother, and great great-grandmother, all her growing family loved and profited from special time with Grandma.
On her 90th birthday, Lucille (who was still going to work every day as
a proofreader) was featured on the front page of the daily newspaper
with the headline, "72 Years On The Job And Counting". She continued to
work another two years before retiring and then, much to her amusement, was offered another job on her 93rd birthday. She turned that one down.
Lucille will be remembered for her quick wit, her intelligence and
loyalty to family and friends as well as her strong work ethic.
Lucille's family will remember her as 'Mom' and 'Grandma' and the
matriarch who was always the anchor they could rely on.
Along with her husband, Clark, Lucille was preceded in death by her
parents, Harry and Grace Higgason; sisters, Vonna Dean Higgason and
Velva Melroy; brother, Phil Higgason; sister-in-law Edna (Hord) Ruble;
sons-in-law, Bob Boettcher and Gene Olson; and brother-in-law Gean Melroy.
Lucille is survived by her children, Lee Gayle Boettcher of Buffalo, TX,
Bill (Annette) Hord of Lincoln, Chrys Olson of Dacono, CO, Rita (Greg)
Wilkinson of Billings, MT, Bette (David) Thalken of Granbury, TX, Harlan
Hord of Cheyenne, WY, and Chip (Leslie) Hord of Golden, CO; her brother, Don (Wanda) Higgason of Buford, GA; 30 grandchildren; 44
great-grandchildren; 18 great great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Ethel
Higgason; and many loved nieces, nephews and other family.
Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Odean
Colonial Chapel. Inurnment will follow in Floral Lawns Memorial
Gardens. The memorial book may be signed online at odeanchapel.com and prior to the service at Odean Colonial Chapel at C & Sycamore, which is in charge of arrangements.