Scottsbluff Star Hearld Scottsbluff, NE 30 May 2007 MITCHELL - Lawrence (Lorenz) Sell, Sr., 98, departed this life Sunday, May 27, 2007, at the Mitchell Care Center in Mitchell. He was a longtime resident of the North Platte Valley, having lived in Scottsbluff, Lyman, and Mitchell for most all of 95 years. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, June 1, at the Jolliffe Funeral Home Chapel in Scottsbluff. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery following the service. Visitation will be Thursday, May 31, from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Jolliffe Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service on Friday. Memorial contributions may be made to the Zion Evangelical Church in Scottsbluff. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.jolliffefuneralhome.com. Lawrence was born Aug. 6, 1908, in Frank, Russia - one of the Volga German communities from which many Western Nebraska families immigrated. With his parents, George and Anna Marie (Heizenrader) Sell, and four older siblings (Molly, John, Pauline, and Alexander), he came to the US as a small boy in 1912 through Ellis Island. Traveling by rail from New York City to initially live with relatives in Morrill. His family worked over the next decades as seasonal laborers on farms and in sugar factories. In addition, he drove gas and ready-mix trucks and sold used cars. He loved his family and enjoyed fishing and baseball. He married Lydia Schledewitz (who also came to the US with her family as a two-year old from Yost, Russia) Jan. 30, 1928. Together, they raised three sons and three daughters. Those who knew Lawrence recognized him as someone with a great memory for names, places, and events. His conversations often connected people he met with relatives, friends, and personal histories. He will long be remembered for this great capacity to recall and honor the past, including the spiritual aspects of life. Survivors include his daughters, Betty (Vic) Loose and Elsie (Reiny) Foos, both of Scottsbluff; son, G. Roger (Bobbi) Sell of Springfield, Mo.; 27 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents; brothers (including Jack and Rueben); sisters; his wife, Lydia (in 1990); sons Lawrence Jr. and Marvin Sr.; and daughter, Ruth Weinmaster