Verle Oren Altman

Verle Oren Altman

Thon book No. 6
Verle Altman dies Monday

Verle Oren Altman, 85, died Monday evening at the Niobrara County Memorial Hospital.

Funeral service will be this Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. at Peet Mortuary Chapel. The family request no flowers. Memorials have been established to the nursing home.

The Lusk Herald
May 14, 1981
Verle Oren Altman

Memorial Service for Verle Altman, long-time area rancher, was held last Friday, May 8, at Peet Mortuary Chapel with Esther Bozart officiating.

Verle Oren Altman was born August 4, 1895, the third of six children and only son of Samuel and Isa Dora Coon Altman. He died May 4 at the Niobrara Nursing Home.

The first Altmans came to the United States during the Revolutionary War. An ancestor, Andrew Altman was an officer in this war. The Altman family was considered Pennsylvania Dutch and Isa Dora Altman who was from Virginia, was of an English descent.

Samuel Altman arrived in Kansas when he was 24 years old and married Isa Dora Coon. Their six children were born in a sod house on the homestead in Norton County, Kansas. Samuel Altman had a roving spirit and after all six children were born, he sold his livestock and moved his family to Oregon where he bought an orchard. Verle picked up this roving spirit and when he was young became a wanderer too.

At the age of 17, Verle traveled to Chicago where he studied electricity. From there he went to Alberta, Canada, where he worked on a cattle ranch for two years. While in Canada, the war broke out and he could have gone into the Queen's Army, but he said he wanted to be in the American Army. He went to Oregon with this in mind, but the war was over before he was called. From Oregon, he traveled to Colby, Kan., where he became the town's head electrician.

Verle left Kansas to come to Wyoming to help his sister Elizabeth Altman improve on her homestead. He then purchased a relinquishment of a homestead, which adjoined the homestead of his sister.

Verle's chief hobby was geology. He drew geological maps of the area surrounding his homestead; the same area which today is being searched for oil. Altman was always certain that oil was there.

He was an area rancher until 1977 when he had a stroke. He then went to his sister's home north of Lusk until he entered the Niobrara Nursing home in April, 1978.

He was a member of the Lusk Elks and Methodist Church. He is survived by two sisters, Laura Altman Bolten of Clatskanie, Ore., and Elizabeth Altman Dainton of Lusk, one niece, one nephew, one great-niece, one great-nephew, several great-great-nieces and nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and three sisters.

Minerva Watson was organist at the memorial service while Marilyn Cockreham sang "Lead Me Gently Home" and "Whispering Hope." Active bearers were Luther Penfield Jr., James Pennington, Roger Bonsell, Steve Sorem, Ted Pennington and Robert Shockley.

Interment was in Lusk Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to the Niobrara Nursing Home.

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