Michael Worth, age 52 of Broken Bow, died Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the Jennie Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Broken Bow with Pastor Kathy Salts PMA officiating. The burial will be in the Ord Cemetery at 2:00 PM with Military Honors. Memorials are suggested to the family for later designation. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 6, 10:00 AM to 7:00 pm at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow.
Michael Dennis Worth was born in Broken Bow on April 25, 1971, to Dennis M. Worth and Carolyn E. Sullivan. He spent part of his childhood in Broken Bow and attended elementary school at North Park through the third grade. In 1980, he moved with his family to a farm west of Arcadia when his mother married his stepfather, Gerald Kerchal. He graduated from Arcadia High School in 1989.
Upon graduation, Mike joined the United States Air Force, completing his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He decided to make the Air Force his career and spent twenty years proudly serving his country. His Air Force career took him around the world many times. Some of his favorite stations and TDYs were in South Korea, Guam, Turkey, Alaska, and many places in Europe. He also served his nation in the Middle East during Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Global War on Terrorism, serving in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. He was honored by the Air Force by being selected as Airman of the Year in 1992, accepting his award at the United States Pentagon. Mike retired from the Air Force as a Tech Sergeant in 2009.
After leaving the Air Force, Mike decided to continue serving his nation as a civilian contractor in the Middle East. He worked for DynCorp in Qatar and then Lockheed Martin, working in Afghanistan until 2011.
Following his service, Mike retired to Ord and then Broken Bow. He loved following the activities of his niece and nephew and helping from time to time on his sister and brother-in-law’s farm. Mike had a dry sense of humor and loved joking around with his family and telling stories about the crazy adventures he had while traveling the world.
Mike is survived by his mother, Carolyn Kerchal, of Broken Bow; his sister and brother-in-law, Kris and Jim Lech of Burwell; a brother, John Burnett of Texas; a niece, Kassidy and Craig Wachter, Braxton and Josie of Pierce, NE; a nephew, Sam and Karissa Lech of Burwell; aunts Sonja and Steve Govier of Pleasanton, NE; Joan and Al Dillenback of Grand Island, NE; and Janet and Jerry Grosse-Rhode of Broken Bow, NE; many cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his stepfather, Gerald Kerchal, his father, Dennis Worth, and grandparents, John and Ruth Sullivan.