Born in Atlanta, Nebraska, Urbom was a Technical Sergeant in the United States Army during World War II, from 1944 to 1946.

On March 11, 1970, Urbom was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska vacated by Robert Van Pelt.

He was also an adjunct instructor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law from 1979 to 1990.

Urbom assumed inactive status on April 25, 2014, meaning that while he remained a Federal Judge, he no longer actively heard cases or participated in court business.

[1] Urbom died in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 28, 2017, at the age of 91.