2/20/1923 – 3/1/2015
Alice McCampbell Bukacek was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 20, 1923 to Henry and Barbara McCampbell. She grew up in Elgin, Nebraska the youngest of three children. Alice was especially close to her sister, Ann, 15 months her elder. The family moved to Omaha when Alice was 9 years old during The Great Depression. They lived west of Omaha at about 72nd and Dodge while she attended Loveland Elementary. Later they moved to the Dundee area. Alice and Ann used to ride the trolley on Dodge Street to and from Central High School. She graduated from Central High School in 1940. She attended the University of Nebraska and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. In her sophomore year Alice was selected as the “Queen of Queens.” While at the University she met Lorenzo (Ren) Bukacek who was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, president of the Inter-fraternity Council and an Innocent. They were married June 10, 1944 following Alice’s graduation. Ren served in the Army and then went to Law School. In 1948 they moved to Omaha to raise a family. Ren went to work at Mutual of Omaha while Alice stayed home to rear Ed, Peg, and Bill. When the kids were grown, Alice went to work as a social worker for the American Red Cross. Ren and Alice were long-time members of Trinity Methodist Church and we all went to church every Sunday. Over the years the Bukacek family took many long vacations. Traveling by car, they went to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Yellowstone Park, the Seattle World’s Fair, Mount Rushmore, Washington D.C. and the New York World’s Fair. There were many roadside picnics and the kids were glad if the motel had a pool. For their 25th wedding anniversary the family went to Hawaii. After the kids were grown, Alice and Ren went to Europe and returned to Hawaii once again. In the early years in Omaha, Alice and Ren met a group of friends that would remain together throughout the years. Kay and Maury “Ding” Dingwell, Kay and Bob Gillaspie and Ellie and John Wingender became friends for life. As a group they were the Poker Club playing cards monthly, taking turns hosting. The women formed the AKKE (Alice, Kay, Kay, & Ellie) Bridge Club. This was a group that loved to have fun. They would also get dressed up a couple times a year and go out dancing at the Roundelay Dance Club. Alice was a devoted wife and a loving mother. She had a wonderful attitude toward life even when things got rough. Alice survived two bouts with cancer in the 90’s. Afterwards she became a volunteer at Immanuel Cancer Center. In her final years Alice had Alzheimer’s, but she never let it get her down. She was happy as can be until she passed away. She will be greatly missed.
MEMORIAL SERVICE 2pm Friday, April 24, 2015, Forest Lawn Chapel, 7909 Mormon Bridge Rd, Omaha, NE. Inurnment Forest Lawn Cemetery, Omaha. Attendant will be at cemetery gate for directions to chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials to American Cancer Society.
