John Theer

John “Popper” Theer, 69, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Lawrence, Nebraska on Sunday, June 28, 2026.  Rosary will be Thursday, July 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m. and Mass will be Thursday, July 2, 2026, 10:30 a.m. both at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Lawrence, Nebraska with Father Denton Morris officiating.  Inurnment will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Lawrence, Nebraska.  There will be no viewing or visitation as his wishes were to be cremated.  Memorials can be directed to the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Dept. or the Lawrence Community Center Building Fund.  The service will be live streamed on Merten-Butler Mortuary’s website.  To view the service go to John’s obituary and click on the play button towards the bottom of the page.  Condolences may be sent to www.mertenbutlermortuary.com.  Merten-Butler Mortuary, Blue Hill, Nebraska is serving the family.

John was born on February 28, 1957, to Gilbert H. and Eleanor R. (Karmazin) Theer at Mary Lanning Hospital Hastings, Nebraska. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary and Lawrence High School and later earned his GED certificate. He was a member of Sacred Heart Church and retired member of the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department.

Throughout his life, he was a hard worker and earned a living with construction, farmhand and grain handling jobs. Most recently, he retired from Cooperative Producers Incorporated’s Red Cloud location. He loved hauling silage and haylage for his brother’s custom chopping operation and was quick to make Facebook posts to let the world know it was a great day to be doing so.

John had a passion for motorcycles and building demolition derby cars. When vertigo made it unsafe to ride his Harley, he bought a three-wheel motorcycle so he could still enjoy the open road. He looked forward to putting the demo cars to the test with a nice burnout but mostly appreciated the time spent with family building the cars.

He grew his own mint to make mint julep for Kim Janda Poker Runs as well as for family weddings and other special occasions.

He was a man that beat to his own drum but possessed a heart of gold. His motto was “anything for family” and he felt the same about friends. His love is evident in the emergency supply of black jellybeans he kept in his truck and the “thought of you when I saw this” videos he sent great-nieces and nephews. Whether he was making family laugh at inappropriate times, quacking like a duck, shocking you by taking out his teeth, telling a cut the pickle joke or giving a wet willy, John was doing it out of love.  He might even lovingly tease with a reminder of something you despise.

Although he was diabetic, he liked to bake desserts. He was especially proud of his cheesecakes. He enjoyed experimenting with flavors and sharing them with co-workers and family.  At family gatherings, he also took pleasure in taking your pennies playing Solo (a card game) and feasting on creamed peas.

He is survived by his brothers—Eugene (Jeanette) of Lincoln, Joe (Kay), Robert (Brenda) and Jim (Brenda) all of Lawrence; sisters—Carol (Tim) Davenport of Plattsmouth and Mary (Bernard) Kathman of Lawrence; granddaughter, Kelia Jansen; nieces and nephews—Jason (Shari) Theer, Tiffany Theer, Steffany (Garrie) Kobes, Trisha Theer, David (Dawn) Theer, Adam (Lauren) Theer, Misty (Eric) Scott, Krista Davenport, Brian (Lindsay) Owens, Leslie (Dennis) Muff, Bethany (Aaron) Thompson, Casey (Cam) Skalka, Crystal Jansen, Teresa (Adam) Heiser, Rebecca (Quinton) Royle, and Rose (Aaron) Barnes; great-nieces and nephews and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, nephew Theodore Kathman, niece Candy Jansen, twin great-nieces Josephine and Sophie Theer.

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