Honestly, when you're looking for news about someone who passed in a tight-knit community like ours, scrolling through a massive national site usually feels... wrong. It’s too cold. Too corporate. If you are searching for recent obituaries in Fremont NE area, you probably aren't just looking for a name and a date. You are looking for a story, a service time, or maybe just a way to process that a familiar face from the grocery store or the high school bleachers is gone.
Fremont is a place where people stay. We have deep roots here. Because of that, the way we handle "passing on" is still very much tied to a few key local institutions. If you miss the physical copy of the Fremont Tribune, you might feel like you're out of the loop.
Where the real information lives
Most folks head straight to Google, but the "Big Box" obituary sites often lag behind. They scrape data. It’s messy. If you want the ground truth, you have to look at the three main pillars of funeral services in Dodge County.
Moser Memorial Chapel
These folks handle a huge chunk of the services in town. Just recently, they’ve posted notices for several well-known community members. For instance, Mark A. Ostermiller passed away on January 10, 2026. If you knew the Ostermiller family, you know they've been part of the fabric of this area for ages.
Then there’s Kim Marie Ruzicka, who passed on January 7. Moser is also handling the arrangements for Christina Kay Mount and Jeanette Muhle, both of whom left us on January 3. When you look at their site, you’ll see the "Tribute Archive." It’s a bit more personal than the generic legacy sites because you can actually see the local flower arrangements and notes from neighbors you might actually recognize.
Ludvigsen Mortuary
Ludvigsen is the other major player. They’ve been busy lately, unfortunately. Ronald "Ronnie" Lee Fauss passed away at 91 on January 10. Ronnie was a staple over in Hooper, but his impact reached all the way into Fremont. He passed at Dunklau Gardens, which, as many of us know, is where so many of our elders receive their final care.
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They also recently listed Stephen Sexton, Ed.D., who died on January 4. If you had kids in the Fremont Public Schools anytime in the last few decades, that name should ring a bell—he was the former Superintendent. Losing a leader like that ripples through the whole town.
Dugan Funeral Chapel
While sometimes smaller in volume than the other two, Dugan handles many of the more intimate, long-standing Fremont family services. They’ve been serving the area since the 1900s. Their listings often include people like Janice "Jan" Bea Lutz, who was deeply involved in special education.
Why the "Fremont Tribune" isn't the only source anymore
It used to be simple. You grabbed the paper. You turned to the back. You read the black-and-white columns.
Now? The Tribune is still there, but the digital paywalls and the way they syndicate to Legacy.com can make things confusing. Sometimes a name shows up there before the full life story is written. Other times, the family chooses to only post on the funeral home’s private site to keep things a bit more quiet.
Recent obituaries in Fremont NE area often show up on Facebook first. That’s just the reality of 2026. The "Fremont NE Community" groups usually have the news within hours. It’s faster than any newsroom, though you have to wade through the comments to find the actual service details.
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Recent names you might have missed
Since we are midway through January, the list has grown quite a bit. It’s a heavy start to the year for Dodge County.
- Nancy Louise Carsten (Reckmeyer): Passed January 14.
- Adelyne M. Koranda: Passed January 13.
- Dorothy M. Travnicek: Passed January 13.
- Thomas Richter: Passed January 11.
- Ralph E. Wagner: A Scribner local who lived to 98, passed on January 4.
- John "Johnny" A. Schlepp: A true cowboy who passed on January 2.
It’s interesting—or maybe just a Fremont thing—how many of these folks lived well into their 80s and 90s. We have a lot of "old guard" families here. When someone like Ralph Wagner passes at 98, you aren't just losing a person; you're losing a century of local history. He probably remembered when the Lincoln Highway was a completely different experience.
The "Discovery" Problem
If you're trying to find these on Google Discover, you've probably noticed that the algorithm is picky. It likes "breaking" news. But obituaries aren't really breaking news in the traditional sense; they're communal markers.
To keep getting these updates, people usually have to "follow" the specific mortuary pages. Honestly, it’s the only way to ensure you don't miss a visitation for an old coworker or a former teacher.
What to do if you can't find a service
Sometimes you hear a rumor at the coffee shop but can't find the obit. This happens a lot in Fremont. Why?
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- Pending Services: Sometimes the family is waiting for relatives to fly in from out of state before they post the dates.
- Private Tributes: More families are opting for private celebrations of life rather than public funerals at a church.
- The "Out of Town" Factor: If someone passed at a hospital in Omaha (like Nebraska Medicine or Bergan Mercy), the obituary might be listed under Omaha news first, even if they lived in Fremont for 50 years.
If you’re stuck, check the Washington County Enterprise too. A lot of folks in Fremont have ties to Blair or Arlington, and the news often crosses county lines.
Helping the family
If you do find a friend on the list of recent obituaries in Fremont NE area, the etiquette hasn't changed much, even if the tech has. Most of these local funeral home sites have a "Plant a Tree" or "Leave a Message" feature. It sounds cheesy, but the families actually read those.
In a town this size, that digital guestbook becomes a permanent record.
Actionable steps for staying informed:
If you want to stay updated without constantly searching, the best move is to bookmark the "Obituaries" tab on the Moser and Ludvigsen websites directly. Don't rely on the newspaper to catch everything. Also, if you’re looking for someone specific and they aren't appearing, try searching by their maiden name or a nickname—Fremont is a "everyone knows you by a different name" kind of place.
You should also check the local church bulletins online. St. Patrick’s or First Lutheran often list their own members' passing before the general public finds out. It’s that extra layer of local knowledge that makes the difference.
To make sure you're getting the most accurate info, always verify the service location. With the winter weather we've been having in Nebraska this January, many services are being delayed or moved to "livestream only" at the last minute. Most Fremont funeral homes now include a "Watch Service" link directly on the obituary page. It's a lifesaver when the roads are too slick to make it to the chapel.
Keep an eye on the dates—sometimes the "Recent" section includes people from two weeks ago because the service hasn't happened yet. Just because the date of death was the 1st doesn't mean the story is "old" in a town like ours.