Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.» A crowd of 125 gathered Thursday in Omaha for the Minino family's 30th annual Thanksgiving Day dinner. But one person was missed.
The patriarch, Phillip Minino, died last week at 80. Phil and Phyllis, who met at age 14 and attended Omaha South High, had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in April with their seven children and their spouses.
A Korean War veteran who worked 46 years for Union Pacific, Phil died from cancer at home, with family members around him in his final days.
"It was an amazing time," said daughter Sally Sapikoski. "You don't think you can get any closer as a family, and we got closer."
Phil was buried on Thursday of last week with military honors, including a rifle salute. Many who attended the funeral returned on Thanksgiving to the St. Adalbert church hall, 2619 S. 31st St.
Collectively, they enjoyed four 24-pound turkeys, two large hams and 40 pounds of potatoes, among other delights. There were tears and remembrances for Phil, and a poem was read in his memory.
His survivors include 20 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and three great-greats.
» Nebraska was well-represented on floats at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade — the Omaha-based Mannheim Steamroller band, Miss America Teresa Scanlan and New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain.
Joba, whose father was born on the reservation in Winnebago, Neb., rode on the Oneida Indian Nation float.
A former Omahan was among others in the parade with Nebraska ties. Mark Lauer, who was general manager of the Doubletree Hotel downtown, is now general manager of the Hilton New York. He and his family served as rope handlers for filmmaker Tim Burton's "Balloon Boy."
» Lady Gaga's TV special, "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving," included a duet with legendary Tony Bennett and songs videotaped at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, which she attended in New York City as Stefani Germanotta.
For the national audience, she changed the words to her "You and I." This summer, she had her music video for that song taped in the Omaha area because the lyrics are about "my cool Nebraska guy."
For her special, she instead sang about her "American guy." When interviewer Katie Couric asked about her love life, Gaga declined to comment.
» OK, our part of the world may not be widely known to everyone, but an article Friday in the Irish Times made the writer look, to say the least, geographically challenged.
The story, about Korean families who send their children to the United States for schooling, said: "In some cases, the families will move to the more obscure states in America such as Omaha and Nebraska."
» Nebraska shows up well in various national economic rankings, but is No. 1 in the nation in a health category.
A report this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Nebraska had the lowest rate of prescription overdoses — 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 11.9.
» The financial-industry publication "The Bond Buyer" has good things to say about the Omaha Public Power District.
Calling OPPD "one of the nation's highest-rated utilities" and the 12th-largest, the publication said Moody's Investors Service rates the district fourth-highest among 135 similar institutions.
Said the Bond Buyer: "Analysts praise its strong management team, diverse power portfolio, (its) rate-setting authority and a relatively strong local economy."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
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