Ronald Emanuel Lukesh Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Ronald Emanuel “Ron” Lukesh, 73, of rural Palmer, Nebraska, (formerly of Grand Island, Nebraska), passed away on August 25, 2021 of natural causes. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Tuesday, August 31st at All Faiths Funeral Home. Daniel Naranjo will officiate. Livestreaming of the service will be available on Ron’s obituary page at www.giallfaiths.com. Burial will be in the Grand Island Cemetery. Family will be greeting friends an hour before service time. Memorials are suggested to the GRACE Foundation. Ron was born in Grand Island to Emanuel “Gabe” and Virginia Mae “Maisie” (Hatfield) Lukesh on February 18, 1948, and was the first son but the second of five children. He attended school in Grand Island (except for 4th grade in Dallas, Oregon), graduating from Grand Island Senior High in 1966. He married his high school sweetheart Jean A. Ochsner in 1968, at First Presbyterian Church in Grand Island. Like his father, Ron was a natural artist and was coloring outside the lines from the time he was old enough to hold a pencil, crayon, paintbrush, or camera. By age 13, he was a published artist, creating newspaper ads and working for Marsay Printers in Grand Island. In his teens and early twenties, he worked at Art Craft Signs where he was mentored by one of the owners, Marlon “Spike” Gauthier and became a shop foreman. He later worked at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant, doing industrial engineering projects and creating illustrations, newsletters, reports, and a safety-focused cartoon strip that went regularly to government offices in Washington D.C. Ron was also a businessman. He started two silkscreen businesses—Images and Graphics—in Hastings, Nebraska, with a partner in the 1970s and 1980s. Ron created the artwork and marketing, and helped print tee shirts, banners, and specialty items for Olympia Brewery of Washington state and other companies across the country. After leaving those businesses, Ron and a Grand Island friend and partner Tom Dolton started Action Concepts advertising and marketing agency which later became ADS or Associated Design Services at “the Dock” warehouse building along the 2nd Street railroad tracks. While there, they were also partners in Sax’s Pizza of Nebraska. At Action Concepts and ADS, Ron did artwork, commercials, and advertisements for area radio and television stations and many businesses, including GP Express. In his spare time, he painted fine arts paintings, took flying lessons, and loved bicycling. When his former music teacher and good friend Jack Learned retired and became the director for the new Stuhr Museum, Jack asked Ron to design, lay-out, and paint many of the museum’s storefronts and other buildings and signs, as well as to do much of the early advertising and marketing. Jack and Stuhr Museum both held a special place in Ron’s heart. After leaving Action Concepts, ADS, and Sax’s Pizza corporation, Ron restarted his advertising and marketing business in his Grand Island home and continued to receive many awards. He also served for years as a member and a president of Third City Sertoma, creating several things for them, and working many of their Vegas nights to raise money for special education school projects—his Third City presidency and Gold Coat award were highlights of his life. Another highlight was soloing in an airplane—he so loved flying, but decided not to get his license after September 11. He took many beautiful airplane and weather photos for business and for fun. One of his advertising projects then took him back to Hastings where he designed and helped a friend run Espresso America in a strip mall along Burlington Avenue. That led him to help design the MPH racetrack and surrounding living quarters in Hastings, a project that continued into the early 2000s. During his lifetime, Ron designed and created hundreds or perhaps thousands of logos, signs, artworks, buildings, and more, for various projects throughout Central Nebraska and elsewhere. He also lettered police cars and other law enforcement vehicles, designed the arm-patch for the Grand Island Police Department, and lettered other community fleet vehicles across the state. When his wife Jean, a teacher and media specialist, retired after 30 years with the Grand Island Public and Hall County Schools, Ron also decided to retire (somewhat). They, their dog, and Jean’s horses all moved to an 80-acre farm in rural Howard County There, Ron continued to do artwork for others, and also helped Jean write, illustrate, publish, and market several Nebraska history books that received 15 national book awards. He also did more photography and painting, until ill health made him stop doing artwork and put an end to him attending his GISH Class of 1966 luncheons, his wife’s Western Writers of America conferences, and many other much-loved activities, such as traveling with Jean to do Nebraska history research or to give book or history programs. Ron loved Nebraska and was sort of a cowboy at heart. He especially loved Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in the movie Tombstone and often quoted his favorite line from that movie, saying, “I’m (or “I’ll be”) your Huckleberry.” (Ron will always be our favorite Huckleberry!) Ron was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents “Polka Joe” and Albina Lukesh and Ira and Margaret Hatfield, older sister and brother-in-law Judy and Gene Watson, uncles and aunts: Clare Hatfield, Doris and Joe Bixenmann, Richard “Butch” and Lucille Lukesh, Bernard Lukesh, Lillian and Don Miller, Wilma Loescher; cousins Mike Loescher and Tom Miller; mother- and father-in-law Agnes and Harvey Ochsner, as well as other family, friends, and special pets. Ron is survived by Jean, his wife of 53 years, son Lance (who was Ron’s 21st birthday present); sisters Barbara (Russ) Johnson and Shauna (Dan) Rock, brother Doug (Lael) Lukesh, brother/sister-in-law Bob (Pat) Ochsner; numerous nieces and nephews, and their families; Aunt Lorraine Lukesh, and cousins Craig Lukesh, Linda Lindsay, and Sharron Huynh of Oregon, Marvin, Carolyn, Lannie, and Bonnie Lukesh; Steve Bixenmann, Mark Bixenmann, and Robin Roefling and their families, and current dog, horse, and cat furbabies.

Ronald Emanuel Lukesh

February 18, 1948 - August 25, 2021

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