Grandparents, Russ and Sheila (Rhoades) Sjeklocha shared their grandson’s obituary with their Grand Junction and Rippey friends. Russ graduated from Grand Junction in 1957 and Sheila graduated with Rippey class of 1959. Sheila was in Ralph’s class and she and Russ lived north of her sister, Delores Heater in our neighborhood, the first few years of their marriage. When their brother, Alan died in a car accident on October 2, 1966, Connie Neese and I sang, “God will Take Care of You” at the funeral, accompanied by Wilmuth Peters. It was the first funeral I had ever been asked to sing for. The experience of a community coming together stayed with me and 30 years ago, September 21, 1996, Sad, but heartwarming memories.
On a lighter note, two cousins of Russ graduated from my hometown of Woodward, so already knew how to pronounce and spell his last name. It’s a small world, sometimes.
Prayers and blessings to the family and friends of Jett, and may God take care of you, also.
Jett Eli Sjeklocha, 22, of Hayes Center, Nebraska, passed away September 11, 2026 after injuries incurred in a rollover accident.
Jett was ushered into the world November 4, 2003 to the sound of his proud older sister’s serenade. An adorable cherub, Jett was hard not to love.
As soon as he was able, Jett took to everything outdoors. He loved building things with his hands, and made many scrap metal “sculptures” as he learned to weld. His hands on and “can-do” attitude stayed with him through his school years. Jett was involved in FFA, 4H, and football, but found himself most content horseback or checking cows. Jett was a proud and active member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association where he competed in steer wrestling, team roping, and his true love, bull riding. Jett cheated death multiple times riding bulls, but was never phased. His need for adrenaline superseded all else.
Jett graduated as the Salutatorian of Hayes Center High School’s Class of 2022. However, with just three kids in his class, he was unable to certify that he was in the top 25% for scholarship purposes, a predicament he found humor in.