ARRANTS, JOHN AND ETHEL (NEUMEYER)

by Ethel M. Arrants

Entry F6 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

John and Ethel Arrants 1934

John J. Arrants was born to John B.
Arrants and Elsie (Fiscus) Arrants Date-xxx,
1930 in Morrill County. He was the third of
four children.

Ethel M. Neumeyer was born at Hyannis,
Nebraska Date-xxx, 1930 to Perry and Ila
(Shackelford) Neumeyer. Ethel started to
school in south Hooker county, went to school
one year in Mullen, then in various schools
around the sandhills graduating from Sioux
County High in 1950. Coming to Mullen and
helping her father run the Jewel Diner until
the fall of 1950 when she taught the Reigle
school south of Mullen.

John and Ethel were married July 3, 1951
at Bridgeport, Neb. John was working for the
Rex Ranch in Hooker County. In Sept. 1951
he was drafted into the Army. He took his
basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas. In
November he was sent to Aberdeen Proving
Grounds, Maryland. Ethel joined him there,
giving up her teaching job. In April John was
sent to Korea, Ethel returned to Bayard,
Neb. where their son James Roy was born in
October 1952. John returned home in August
1953. In September we went to work for E.C.
Douglass seventeen miles south of Agate,
Nebr. on the Douglas Ranch. Where our
second child was born Ila Beryl. In March
1958 we moved to Mullen and operated the
Jewel Diner due to the Death of Ethel's father
Perry Neumeyer. We managed this for
several years. Our third child was born Violet
Irene. We moved to Burwell, Nebr. where we
both worked at the hospital there. John got
a better opportunity at the hospital in
Kearney at the Good Samaritan Hospital in
1972 and Ethel went to work for Volkswagen
of Kearney, Inc. as bookkeeper and office
manager, where we have been ever since.

James Roy married Ginger Shewsberry
and they have three children Shawn Marie,
and twin boys Dustin Butler and Deaver
James. Jim has a daughter by a previous
marriage Corrie LeAnn. Ila lives in Kearney
and works for Good Samaritan hospital as a
receptionist and Kearney State College as a
research assistant.

Violet married Robert K. Van Horn they
have two boys, Seth William and Eric John.
They also reside in Kearney. Robert is
employed for a concrete Company. Violet is
self employed.