Benjamin William Vrana, PhD, 84, of Columbus Nebraska, passed away February 19, 2024 at Edgewood Memory Care in Columbus.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 26, at Federated Church in Columbus, with Rev. Dr. Edward Yang officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM at Gass Haney Funeral Home and continue on Monday, from 10:00 AM until service time, at the church. Interment will be at 2:30 PM on Monday, in the Prague Presbyterian Cemetery, rural Prague, Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association or the First Presbyterian Church of Schuyler. The funeral service will be broadcast live on the Federated Church's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/federatedchurch and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5knVI9Z51gMkMq7vCnXYoA/streams

Ben was born June 25, 1939 to Thomas and Alice Vrana, the third of 4 siblings, and grew up on a farm between Prague and Malmo, Nebraska. He attended a country school and graduated from Malmo High School as valedictorian of his class.  Ben attended Luther Junior College in Wahoo, NE and Nebraska Wesleyan where he received a BA.  He completed his Master and Doctorate degrees in German literature and modern European History at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  Ben taught German and English language courses at Illinois Wesleyan University during which time he also spent a year in Luebeck, Germany as a Fulbright Exchange teacher for a year.  In 1971, he accepted a position in Schuyler High School as a teacher of German, English, and Spanish classes and remained in that position until his retirement in 2000. He planned, raised funds for, and made three trips to Germany with his foreign language students.  Benjamin served six years in the Nebraska Army National Guard.

In 1964 Ben married Andrea Georgi. To this union two children were born, son Paul in 1966 and daughter Jane in 1974.

As a member of First Presbyterian Church in Schuyler Ben served as an elder and on various committees.  He was active in the community, serving on the board of the Colfax Country Historical Society and as a member of the Masonic Lodge, Shriners Club, and Odd Fellows organizations and as a charter member of the Loup Valley Gem and Mineral Association where he was an officer and editor of the Loup Scoop newsletter. Ben donated over 55 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross Bloodmobile in his lifetime. As a member of the Friendship Force of Lincoln, Nebraska, Ben was able to travel to many countries, including Japan, the Ukraine and New Zealand.

Ben received much recognition for his discoveries and writings as an amateur geologist and paleontologist.  In addition to his large personal collection of fossils and rocks, some of his specimens are on display in the Nebraska Museum of Natural History and the Schuyler museum. Ben spent much of his vacation time as a volunteer with the University of Nebraska, the Western Interior Paleontological Society of Denver, Dinosaur National Monument, South Dakota School of Mines, Ashfall Fossil beds, Ponca State Park, and other parts of the country digging everything from dinosaurs to small fish fossils and preparing the fossil he found. He was a key in preparing the fossil of a Gillicus fish found in Ponca State park

Ben and Marilyn Lempke were married in 2010.  They have enjoyed happy years of square dancing and traveling together.

Ben is survived by his wife Marilyn Vrana of Columbus, NE son and daughter-in-law Dr. Paul Vrana and Frances Lee of Columbia SC., granddaughter Velina Georgi, New York NY, daughter and son-in-law Jane and Prashant Ganorkar and grandson Madhukar Ganorkar, San Rafael CA, brother and sister-in-law Fred and Kathleen Vrana, Malmo NE, brother-in-law Donald Morris of Beaverton, OR, nieces and nephews and many friends.  Ben was preceded in death by his parents and sisters and brothers-in-law Ruth and Robert Lind and Mary Ann and Ed  Lewis.