Funeral Services for Gerald Lux of Crawford, Nebraska will be held Wednesday, May 17, 2023 @ 10:00 AM at United Methodist Church in Crawford, Nebraska. Burial will be held in Crawford City Cemetery.
Gerald Wayne Lux was born on August 2, 1924 in Sioux County Nebraska. He was the oldest child of Carl Jacob Lux and Nona Lucille (Chitty) Lux. His sister Karlene was born 5 years later. When Gerald was 7 years old, his parents divorced. His mother and sister moved back to Iowa to live with his grandmother. Gerald lived with his father, who worked as a farm laborer in the Sandhills. Both parents remarried and half brother Ben Ferguson and Dale Lux were added to his family.
When Gerald was 12 years old, he went to live with his mother and stepfather north of Crawford. Gerald attended school in Whitney, often riding his horse to school. The janitor was kind enough to let Gerald in the school to warm up by the boiler on cold mornings, which earned him the nickname “Lucky”. Gerald graduated from Whitney High School with the class of 1942, the last class to graduate from Whitney.
After high school graduation, Gerald enlisted in the Navy. He knew that he would likely be drafted and wanted to avoid the marching that was involved in serving in the army. He was interested in serving in the submarine service but was too tall to qualify. After basic training in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where he was trained as a radioman Gerald spent most of his 3 years of duty aboard the seaplane tender USS Chincoteague in the Pacific theater. He visited Hawaii as well as several other Pacific Islands during this time.
After his discharge from the Navy, Gerald returned to Crawford where after a short try at college he worked for his stepfather Charls Ferguson. While attending a dance in Crawford, he met Alice Williams. After dating for 2 ½ years, Alice and Gerald married and began a 72-year marriage and partnership. Gerald always said that he agreed to marry Alice, in part due to her promise to make him homemade bread.
During the first years of their marriage, Alice and Gerald lived in Crawford. They eventually bought an acreage 8 miles southeast of Crawford, close to where Alice’s parents lived.
When they first moved to their place, they lived in a railroad boxcar with no electricity or running water. Gerald built a house with help from Alice’s father and moved their family, which included two children, into the house. Four additional children joined the family while living on their place on Sawlog Road. Gerald worked at a variety of jobs including as a section foreman for the CB&Q Railroad, at the Crawford sale barn, and as a salesman for Moorman’s Feeds. These jobs supplemented the income from the farming and ranching. The agricultural operations included raising cattle as well as occasionally pigs or sheep. There were also milk cows until after all the children had left home.
After the children were grown, Gerald retired from his off-farm jobs but continued to raise cattle until he was in his 70s and raise some hay until he was in his late 80s. Gerald was able to travel including fulfilling his promise to Alice to take her to Hawaii. He enjoyed square-dancing, fishing, and especially playing cards.
Gerald is survived by children Wayne (Patti) Lux and their children Bill and Molly; Lynne (Mike) Reeder; Jack Lux and children Carrie, Kristina, Amelia, and Tabitha; Geraldine (Matt) Erickson and children Colin, Megan and Cody; Carl (Sheila) Lux and children Taylor and Jacob; Tim (Amanda) Lux and children Kaiden and Brailyn; as well as numerous great grandchildren.
Gerald was preceded in death by his wife Alice Lux, parents Carl and Nona, stepfather Charls Ferguson, sister Karlene, half-brothers Ben Ferguson and Dale Lux as well as Alice’s parents and siblings.