Supervisor Larry Mach is honored at the Saunders County Board of Supervisors meeting on October 6, 2020, in Wahoo, Nebraska. This meeting was the first since the District 5 Supervisor and his wife Margaret “Marty”, were killed in a car accident while crossing Highway 92 going south on Highway 109 on September 25, 2020. The board held a moment of silence for Mach and his wife before the meeting began. (Elsie Stormberg/Wahoo Newspaper)
Article and photos by Elsie Stormberg/Wahoo Newspaper
Published December 2, 2020
WAHOO – Bishop Neumann Kitchen Head Cook Carolyn Haberman’s first conversation with Larry Mach was in early August this year and was about a proposal he had to benefit Saunders Catholic Schools. For those that knew Mach, this was pretty on par for him – having an idea that would help others in the community he loved. And his three children Ross, Ryan and Wendy, who are all Bishop Neumann alumni, can attest to that.
“Dad pitching this program shows that he was always looking for ways to better our community and schools,” Wendy Mach said. “He always had great ideas, and to see it being brought to life is so amazing.”
On Sept. 25, about a month after Haberman spoke to Mach, he died in a car accident along with his wife, Marty.
Mach’s pitch was to implement a beef boosters program for Bishop Neumann High School, and elementary schools St. Wenceslaus in Wahoo and St. John’s Nepomucene in Weston. Mach, a cattleman himself and a member of the Saunders County Livestock Association Board of Directors, said the program would entail 10 cows donated for the schools each year, one per month.
Wyllie said the program recently had its first donation made by Neumann alumni Larry and Nancy Chapek, who also saw their two children Brandon and Kelsey graduate from the high school as well.
Nancy and Larry Chapek stand near their barn on November 27, 2020, in Mead, Nebraska. The Chapeks were the first livestock farm to donate a cow to Bishop Neumann’s recently established Beef Boosters Program in honor of Larry and Marty Mach. (Elsie Stormberg/Wahoo Newspaper)
Chapek said he first learned of the program through an email. Since they had an extra cow this year, the couple decided it would be a good way to give back to their alma mater.
Once a cow is donated, it is taken to a USDA processing facility in West Point where it will be ground into hamburger to be served at the school. Bishop Neumann Development Director Derrick Wyllie said it will cost around $550 for the cow to be processed, which has meant finding donors to pay for these costs.
Haberman said that once the cow is processed and the schools receive the beef, one cow will serve eight to 10 meals for all three schools. This means that the funds the schools would normally spend for these meals can go toward enhancing the products the schools purchase in the future.
“It (the program) brings it closer to home,” Haberman said. “This beef was donated by a person connected to Neumann who had kids that went here or graduated from here. I think it brings in a sense of community help, which is kind of a good connection.”
Haberman said she hopes to have the beef from the Chapek’s cow in time for school lunches by January. Because it is Haberman’s first year as head cook for Saunders Catholic Schools, she was grateful for the idea.
“Without him making that phone call to me at the beginning of the school year, I wouldn’t have known anything about it,” Haberman said. “It wouldn’t be a thought in my mind.”
Unfortunately, Mach will never get to see the program take effect. However, Wyllie said the program will be named Larry and Marty Mach Beef Boosters program in honor of the couple.
For Wendy Mach, who is an athletic trainer at Bishop Neumann, this program was no surprise, but a huge honor for her family.
“Was I in shock? Yes, but no,” Wendy said. “Dad was always willing to go the extra mile to give back. What a great legacy for him to leave behind by creating this program.”
Wendy Mach said she remembers enjoying her own family’s beef growing up, and is excited that the students of Saunders Catholic Schools will too.
“I can’t wait for the staff and students to enjoy some great beef donated by local ranchers,” she said. “My brothers and I were spoiled our entire lives by butchering our own beef, and now so will the entire Neumann family.”
This article can also be found on the Wahoo Newspaper's website here.