Bernard Walter “Ben” Maaske peacefully went to be with the Lord in the early hours of April 14, 2026 at his home in Lincoln, NE. Bernard was born on May 22, 1931 to Roy and Anna Maaske in Gosper County, Nebraska. He grew up on a farm, where he got into mischief with the animals and his seven siblings throughout his childhood. Bernard began attending Bertrand High School where he played on the football team and served as senior class vice president. It was here that he met Ruth Marie Holmquist, the love of his life. Ruth’s father nicknamed him “Ben” around this time and the name stuck. Ben was drafted into the Korean War, where he fought at the front lines. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the Army 3rd infantry division and was awarded the Bronze Star with an Oak Leaf Cluster during his service. After returning home, he and Ruth were married on November 25, 1954. This was the beginning of a 71-and-a-half-year marriage. After leaving the Army, Ben attended the University of Nebraska and then joined the Lincoln Police Department, where he assisted in the Starkweather investigation. He spent some time as an insurance adjuster before returning to the career he loved, serving in the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department doing investigative and polygraph work. He retired from law enforcement as a Detective Sgt. In 1976, Ben and Ruth moved to an acreage just outside of Lincoln so that Ben could see cattle outside of his window, just like when he was younger. After leaving the Sheriff’s Department, Ben worked in security and eventually moved to Bertrand to care for his father-in-law. After this, Ben and Ruth returned to Lincoln, where they lived for over thirty years. Many of these years were spent traveling internationally and throughout the US in their RV.

Ben, or Papa, as he was known to his numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, will be remembered for many things, including his taste for chocolate-covered peanut clusters, circus peanuts, and KFC, his love of reading and history, his distaste for card games, and especially for the seemingly endless amount of stories that he collected over his 94 years of life and relished telling to anyone who would listen.

Ben and Ruth were involved in the Lutheran church throughout their marriage, including Christ Lincoln for over thirty years. Ben was also active as a veteran, visiting elementary schools to speak and attending numerous Korean War reunions. He was fiercely proud of his service in both the military and law enforcement. Outside of his family, Ben recalled that some of his most satisfying moments included seeing the faces of the South Korean soldiers and civilians after their liberation and hearing their continued thankfulness when they spoke to him and other veterans at Korean War reunions, as well as witnessing the look on the faces of families who were able to experience closure after he obtained criminal confessions. Ben had a heart for serving others, as well as a strong love for his country, his family, and his God.

Ben is preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Anna Maaske; parents-in-law, Ralph and Elsie Holmquist; brothers, Delmar (Alice), Eldred (Darlene), and Darrel (Faye) Maaske; infant sister, Grace Maaske; brothers-in-law, David High, Merwyn Jones, and Bruce and Howard Holmquist; sister-in-law, Linda Maaske; and great-granddaughter, Leonie Palacios.

He is survived by his loving wife of 71 years, Ruth Maaske of Lincoln; children, Sherry Koenigsman and Kevin (Jackie) Maaske, both of Lincoln, and Krista (Myron) Drent of Indianapolis, IN; 8 grandchildren, Carissa (Brandon) Levering of Cedar Rapids, IA, Kaitlyn (Noe) Palacios of Miami, FL, Kelsey (Sean) Brozek of Gretna, NE, Jessica (Richie) Turner of Bennington, NE, Brent (Svenja) Koenigsman of Lincoln, NE, Adam (Denise) Drent of Riverside, CA, Ethan (Hannah) Drent, and Lindsey (Bennett) Wilson, both of Indianapolis, IN; twenty-one great-grandchildren, Joshua, Moriah, Eva, and Chloe Levering, Fiore and Milan Palacios, Adelaide, Elliott, Afton, Edith, Agnes, and Esther Brozek, Knox and Isla Turner, Isabel and Lincoln Drent, Declan, Darcy, Rosalie, and Ryan Drent, and Magdalena Wilson; two brothers Roland (Virlyn) and Wayne Maaske; two sisters, Margaret High and Mildred Jones; and sisters-in-law, Donna and Shari Holmquist, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Ben was very loved and his family confidently looks forward to seeing him again in the hope of the resurrection.

A celebration of life will be held in the Summer of 2026 with details to be shared at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the family for further designation.