In the early 2000s, my parents moved from McCook to a lakeside retirement community in Arkansas. Even at the time, it didn’t make sense because they had moved from Omaha to McCook just a few years earlier. Not because I lived in McCook but because of something much more persuasive: the grandkids.
As the U-Haul pulled out of the driveway headed south, my parent’s move made me realize that we had taken the situation for granted. My kids had been very fortunate to have all four grandparents alive and living in the same town.
Not surprisingly, my mother missed her grandkids and they returned to McCook after just a year away. For another few years, my kids again enjoyed having all four grandparents at every school program, every sporting event, every birthday party or just hanging out together.
But that ideal situation ended in 2006 when my mother, Linda, died.
For several more years, the remaining three grandparents were in the front row at every event or sitting around the dining table during the holidays. But within four months of each other, both grandfathers, Pete and then Ron, passed away.
This left our kids with one lone grandmother, Dolores Graff, as their final link to that generation. In those final years, she shared stories about her childhood as one of 10 kids, attended Mass at St. Pat’s as often as she could for as long as she could, and refused to let go of your hand as you left her room. But time and her health took its toll and she died earlier this week.
While it is never a perfect time, it was her time to go and it is the end of an era.
There is a part of me which is sad because they have lost that unconditional love from grandparents which cannot be replicated. But I am glad my kids got to know their grandparents and will continue to be influenced by them through their legacies..
Dolores' impact will be felt by both our family and the community for years to come. During her 88 years. she was a force to be reckoned with. After all, if Dolores wanted to see something happen, she made it happen.
Unsatisfied that McCook didn’t offer recycling in the mid-1990s, she started her own recycling center, which was eventually taken over by the city of McCook. She liked to joke that she knew people made fun of the banker’s wife playing in garbage, but she didn’t care. She knew what she wanted and she made it happen.
Dolores was also thorough, much to the chagrin of others. She served two terms on the McCook School Board, even after all her 11 children had graduated from high school. She valued education and simply wanted the best school system for her community.
And she devoted herself to that role. While others “crack” open their packet for the first time at the school board meeting, Dolores would arrive having read and reread every page. She had things underlined, paragraphs highlighted and questions ready to be asked. If she didn’t know the answer, she was going to keep asking and learning until she understood and could make an informed decision.
And Dolores had a penchant for names and faces, not only remembering someone she met years before but also their kids names, where they were going to school and how many dogs they had. Meanwhile, I struggle to remember the name of someone I met five minutes ago. Dolores also loved introducing people to others. Even in her final residence at Hillcrest Nursing Home, she took great pleasure in asking if her nurse or aide knew my husband or me. Never mind that we had met them dozens of times by then, Dolores wanted to make sure everyone knew each other and felt comfortable.
I must admit that there is a twinge of jealousy when I see people able to hug their parents or invite them over for dinner. Or when grandparents fill the stands to watch their grandchildren or simply sit around with a grandchild on their lap.
Instead, I will continue to be grateful for the years we had together, for the meals which always started late and for the many, many stories, from using aloe plants to heal BB guns injuries, to being lost in a blizzard with just one priest to bless us.
Whether it is your parent, your grandparents or just an elderly family friend, don’t take them for granted. Reach out to them as often as you can, whether it’s a phone call or just a text. Heck, maybe even go as far as write them a letter to tell them how much you appreciate them.
And while we’re at it, don’t forget your friends...the family you get to choose. Let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life. My days wouldn’t be as rich without my morning coffee club, my pseudo volleyball team or my Taco Tuesday cohorts.
While this Thanksgiving will look like no other, it is still the perfect time to show gratitude for all of the important people in your life. If your family is near (and it is safe to do so), give them a hug and tell them you love them. If your family is being kept apart, make that phone call and tell them how grateful you are for them.
And if you still have a grandparent around, don’t take it for granted. Instead, be grateful because it will come to an end all too soon.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
