Hadley William Fruits

Aurora resident Hadley William (Hap) Fruits, 82, passed away Saturday, March 28, 2015 at Hamilton Manor in Aurora, Nebraska.

In honoring his wished to be cremated there will be no services. Inurnment will be at he and his wife's plot on the south side of Aurora Cemetery overlooking the city where they lived for 30 years. He will await her there.

Memorials are suggested to the Aurora Humane Society.

Mr. Fruits was born on December 7, 1932 in Bedford, Indiana to George and Ruth (Pett) Fruits. He grew up in central Indiana and graduated from Waynetown High School with the class of 1950. Hap joined the U.S. Navy in October 1951 and served honorably for four years at such duty stations as Subic Bay, Philippines, Midway Island and Yokosuka, Japan. He was a member of the base basketball team in Subic Bay and baseball team in Japan, before being discharged in September 1955.

Mr. Fruits enrolled at Indiana University in January 1956 and graduated in June 1959 with a B.S. degree in advertising and associate degree in Journalism. He worked for the Indianapolis Times after college and later as an account executive with Howard Sams Advertising Services in Indianapolis. Hap came to Nebraska in 1967 to work as sports editor for the Fremont Tribune in Fremont, Nebraska and later moved up to city editor and news editor. In 1980 he was named managing editor of the Tri-City Tribune in Cozad, Nebraska and in 1986 managing editor of the Aurora News-Register. Hap retired in 1996. He spent the next 10 years employed by the Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora, serving as a demonstrator. Hap was particularly noted for his lively bubble shows.

Mr. Fruits married Elizabeth (Bettie) Stickler in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on New Year's Eve 1955. They had three children before divorcing in 1966. He married Betty Tiner in Fremont, Nebraska on Valentine's Day 1969.

Mr. Fruits is survived by his wife Betty; stepson Rodney Tiner of Sun City, Arizona; two daughters, Catherine (Kitty) O'Doherty of Pittsboro, Indiana, and Laura Murphy and her husband Dean; son, Hadley (Tad) Fruits and his wife Amanda all of Brownsburg, Indiana; seven grandchildren and seven great grand children, sister, Sue Bryan of Liberty, Missouri; brother, Dan Fruits of Juneau, Alaska; and Hap's dog Buddy.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Richard Fruits.