Kenneth Tidyman Obituary, Death – On May 19, 2023, cancer-stricken Kenneth Andrew Tidyman, 69, died with family. Oscar and Helen (Evans) Tidyman had him on October 6, 1953, in McCook, Nebraska. He was the youngest of eight children living in a four-room Northeast Hayes County house.
Kenneth was a Charter Member of the Hayes Center High School FFA Chapter, served as Reporter, and worked for his Uncle Lawrence Walker after school. Kenneth relocated to Tryon, NE after high school and met Jerri Jean Shimmon. On February 17, 1980, Kent Dwayne Tidyman was born. Jerri, Kent, and Helen were traveling to town on April 20, 1982, when their truck was hit by another car on the Maywood-Hayes Center Road. Kent was the only survivor.
Kenneth married Mary Ellen Etl-Bloom in Ringgold, NE, on April 27, 1985. Kenneth adopted Jennifer Bledsoe and Rob Bloom from Mary’s previous marriages. The combined family returned to Maywood, Nebraska’s Tidyman ranch. Kelly Evan Tidyman was born on August 19, 1986. Kenneth became a ranch foreman for Kenneth and Virginia Meyer in Wellfleet, NE, in November 1987. Kenneth was Foreman until Virginia died in February 2015. Virginia’s daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Rick Sexton, took over the ranch, which he worked for until February 2023.
Kenneth had a million one-liners and cowboy “wisdom” to make folks laugh. He always helped family first and would say, “If I knew how much fun grandkids were, I would have had them first.” His “I haven’t heard from you all month!” first-of-the-month phone calls will be missed. Since 1972, Kenneth has been “nineteen.”
Kenneth was predeceased by his parents Oscar and Helen Tidyman; sister and brother-in-law Gene (Carol) Tatman; brother-in-laws Homer Ruppert and Tom Stewart; and sister-in-laws Marlene Tidyman and Denis
