Private Family Services will be held at a later date for Jerry Gotschall, age 72, of Atkinson. Jerry passed away with his family by his side on Tuesday, November 07, 2023 at Avera St. Anthony's Hospital in O'Neill, NE. Arrangements are under the direction of Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill.

Jerry Dean Gotschall was born on January 29, 1951 to Dean and Betty (Humphrey) Gotschall of rural Atkinson. He attended Clover Cove District 210 through the 8th grade. In high school, he worked for a neighbor, Rudy Dvorak, who was his early mentor. Jerry graduated from West Holt High School in May of 1969. He married Kathleen Reed on December 5, 1969. They were married for 54 years and were the parents of five children.

Jerry returned to the family ranch in 1972, where he lived and raised beef cattle for the rest of his life. In 1986 he built a dairy on the ranch and milked cows commercially for the next 30 years. His dairy herd was consistently among the top production herds in the state and won several milk quality awards in the 1990's. In 1999 he transitioned the ranch and dairy to certified organic and grass-fed production. He enjoyed sharing the ranch with visitors who were curious about his methods, and through teaching others by example, he inspired and influenced many people beginning or transitioning to grass-fed meat and milk production. He loved grass-fed butter, especially when slathered on crackers and popcorn. He enjoyed nature and observing the behavior of birds. He could mimic many bird calls, including the Western Meadowlark, the Golden-Crowned Kinglet and the Mourning Dove. In 2019 he enrolled the ranch in Audubon's Conservation Ranching program, which confirmed his adherence to soil, grassland, and waterway regenerative practices for the benefit of grassland birds.

Two of his lifelong goals were to return bison to the landscape and to restore Holt Creek to its original channels by allowing beavers to build dams. He fenced out the creek to let the willows grow back and hauled fallen cottonwood branches to help the beavers get started. At one point he counted as many as 17 beaver dams on the creek. One of the last chores he was able to perform on the ranch was to move his bison herd to their wintering grounds on the west side of Holt Creek.

As a younger man he played fast pitch softball for the Atkinson Bears, and was also talented musically, playing the guitar and harmonica, and singing tenor in a local gospel quartet. He enjoyed hunting, trapping, and fishing, and spent many nights following his pack of coon hounds. He liked to go ice fishing, and loved fried perch. He enjoyed watching Husker football, and was a long-time Green Bay Packers fan.

Although he never attended college, he was a lifelong learner, who avidly read books, watched documentaries, and sought out the wisdom of others. On October 12, 1976, he accepted Jesus as his savior. He read and studied the Bible every day, and had deep faith. He enjoyed the company of his friends and was a son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather who loved his family.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Kathy Gotschall of Atkinson; children and spouses, Christopher (Timothy Samuel) Gotschall of Evanston, IL, Kimberly (Ken) Stenka of Stuart, Benjamin (Tammy Austin) Gotschall of Freeport, ME, Ann (Matt) Dvorak, of Newport, Marcus Gotschall of Atkinson; eight grandchildren; Theo (Jayden) Stenka, Lydia Stenka; Charlotte Gotschall; Elise and Dane Dvorak; July, Reed and Olive Gotschall; his mother, Betty Gotschall of Atkinson; siblings, Cheryl Beck of Atkinson, Susan (Dennis) Ziska of Grand Island and Curt (Diane) Gotschall of Atkinson.

He was preceded in death by his father, Dean Gotschall.