Bill Monke, one of the owners of Fontanelle Hybrids and Monke Brothers Fertilizer, Fontanelle, Nebraska, passed away May 1, 2005.  Visitation will be Sunday, May 8 at the Moser Funeral Home, Fremont, NE from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held Monday, May 9 at the Salem Lutheran Church, Fremont, at 10:30 a.m. Memorials to Salem Lutheran Church can be sent to the Fontanelle Hybrids office at 10981 8th St., Fontanelle, NE, 68044.

Monke was diagnosed with cancer last fall and died at his winter home in Peoria, Arizona. He is survived by his wife, Helen of Peoria, AZ, son, Dave Monke and wife, Sheila of Fontanelle and daughters Linda Kirk, Papillion, NE, Lori Raysen, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Amy Taylor and husband, James of O’Fallon, Illinois and Pam Bouijohn and husband, Mike of Chandler, AZ.   

Monke began his career in the seed business in 1949 when he went to work for the founder of Fontanelle Hybrids, W.A. Stevenson. “Dad enjoyed learning about the seed business while working part-time for Stevenson,” Dave Monke said. “In fact Stevenson rented farm ground to my dad so that he could expand his cattle business.”

In 1958 Monke became partners with Ray Harmon in Fontanelle Hybrids after W. A. Stevenson passed away. “My dad learned from Stevenson the importance of giving people the opportunity to succeed,” Dave Monke said.

It was this philosophy that propelled Monke and Harmon in 1975 to begin an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) as a way for employees of Fontanelle to share in the ownership and success of the company. The ESOP plan is still in effect today, as Fontanelle remains one of the few, if not the only, employee-owned seed company in the industry.

Over the course of the past 30 years, Fontanelle has grown its business through both its retail trade and through acquisitions of other seed companies, which Monke played a critical role in the success of merging those businesses with Fontanelle. “Dad always spoke of, and considered, customers and employees as family of Fontanelle,” Dave Monke said.

Throughout his lifetime, Monke held leadership roles on a number of community boards and local associations. Some of these include: American National Bank in Fremont, the Nebraska Seedman’s Association, American Seed Trade Association, Nickerson Farmers Union Coop, Washington County Cattle Feeders, Nickerson Rural Fire Dept., Arlington School Board and as a director at both Fontanelle Lutheran Church in Fontanelle and Salem Lutheran Church in Fremont.