Hans Georg Zink, 74, of Minatare, Nebraska, passed away Sunday, September 24, 2023, at his home with his loving wife at his side. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at Salem Congregational Church in Scottsbluff with Pastor Matt Hebbert officiating. Inurnment with military honors will take place at 10 a.m., Thursday, October 19, 2023, at the Alliance Veterans Cemetery in Alliance, Nebraska. Cremation has taken place in accordance with Hans’ wishes. Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project. The service will be live-streamed and recorded to Hans’ obituary page viewable at www.reverencefuneralparlor.com.
Hans was born July 16, 1949, in Wurzburg, Germany to Erwin and Marianne (Mader) Zink. He came to America when he was six years old with his baby sister and his mother. The only English word he knew was, “bubblegum”. Nonetheless, Hans thrived in school and was an honor roll student all through his upbringing. He also participated in football during his freshman year.
He entered the United States Army in March of 1969 and was stationed in Korea as a clerk typist. He was honorably discharged in 1970.
Hans retired from PicWick after many years of employment, where he had been a supervisor for shipping vinyl records and tapes. He married Vicki Cobb (Lawton) on May 15, 2021. The couple made their home in Western Nebraska and became active members at Salem Congregational Church.
Fast cars were a passion of his from an early age and he became the proud owner of his prized Mustang and Gran Torino. Hans enjoyed hunting antelope and shooting prairie dogs. He was known to sit for hours at night, fighting mosquitoes as he looked through his telescope. He had a second telescope for looking at the sun. Hans adored his two young grandsons and had plans to teach them how to use his big telescope as well as to take them hunting and fishing. Hans was a very giving person and he liked to joke around, surfacing a smile or a grin from those in his company.
He will be deeply missed by his wife, Vicki; sister, Barbara Zink; niece, Christina (Curt) Dykstra; stepdaughter, Kelly (Jeremy) Sanderson; grandsons, Rugar and Hawk Sanderson; brothers-in-law, Lee Lawton and Cliff (Dianne) Lawton; along with other extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Erwin and Marianne; stepfather, William L. Ferrell; and grandparents, Georg and Dorothea (Reichold) Mader.