Emigh, Eldon Neil

Eldon Neil Emigh was born July 21, 1926, in the family home on 
a farm in rural southeast Nebraska, and passed away Aug. 24, 
2010, in Henderson. He was the seventh of nine children born 
to Laurence Edwin Emigh and Jennie Leona Burgett. Neil 
attended high school across the border in Bern, Kan., where he 
met and eventually married his beloved wife, Betty. They wed 
shortly after he joined the U.S. Army to be stationed in 
Washington, D.C., until the end of World War II. After the war, 
Neil returned to the family farm in Nebraska to begin his life 
with Betty and start a family. He farmed, performed contract 
tractoring and worked as a part-time mechanic and welder. He 
found that he did not enjoy farming. An uncle from California 
offered him a chance to invest in a lead mine in central Nevada 
and he jumped at the opportunity. Selling all his farming 
equipment, he and Betty moved in 1956 with their two small 
children to a ranch 60 miles east of Tonopah. The lead mining 
business turned out to be a bust and Neil went to work for a 
contractor working with the Nevada Highway Department, 
eventually landing a job with the Highway Department as a 
surveyor. After several years of building highways throughout 
Nevada, he struck out on his own again and, in 1962, purchased 
a Flying "A" gas station in the then small southern Nevada city 
of Henderson. Soon afterwards, however, he was asked to rejoin 
the Highway Department, where he worked his way up to 
project engineer and eventually assistant district engineer, 
supervising all state highway maintenance in southern Nevada. 
He stayed until his retirement from state service in 1986. Neil 
and Betty enjoyed retirement, traveling throughout the western 
United States, both playing golf at every opportunity. He was 
preceded in death by his wife, of 53 years, Elizabeth "Betty" June 
Wittmer; and brothers, Laurence, Lyle, Leon, John and Garth. 
Neil leaves behind his son, Michael (Patricia) of Fresno, Calif.; 
daughter, Karen (Michael) Wolf of Henderson; brother, Tom 
Emigh of Sioux Falls, S.D.; sister, Ruth Nixon of Henderson; five 
grandchildren, Allison (Aaron) Carr, William Emigh, Katherine 
Emigh, Joseph Wolf and Christopher Wolf; and a great-
granddaughter, Harper Carr. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. 
Friday, Sept. 3, at Palm Mortuary, 800 S. Boulder Highway, 
Henderson, NV 89015. Remembrances may be made to the 
Apostolic Christian Home, 511 Paramount St., Sabetha, KS 
66534, or Creekside Hospice, 3675 Pecos-McLeod, Suite 900, 
Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Published in Las Vegas Review-Journal from August 27 to 
August 28, 2010