John Richard Kacirek, 90

John Richard Kacirek, 90, of Elmo, died on Monday, April 5, 2010, in Summerlin Hospital in Las Vegas, with his family at his side. John was born in Omaha, Neb., on July 18, 1919, to Joseph and Marie (Slavik) Kacirek. The youngest of three children, he spent his early childhood in Touhy, Neb., before moving to Omaha in 1931. He graduated from Omaha Technical High School and attended one year of college at Creighton University. In 1941, John began working for Nebraska Power which later became the Omaha Public Power District. After serving in the Navy during the war, he returned to the Power Company where he worked as a journeyman electrician. John spent his entire career working at the Jones Street Power Station where his final job was helping with the dismantling of the plant. He was a member of the IBEW union. After 38 years of service, he retired in 1979. On Aug. 12, 1940, he eloped with Mae Gustafson and secretly married in Papillion, Neb. They were married for 58 years before Mae s death in 1998. In 1979 he and Mae moved to Elmo. They had first visited relatives on Flathead Lake in 1954, and subsequent yearly vacations to the lake convinced them that this would be their retirement home. In the early 1960s they purchased a lot on Flathead Lake and built their retirement home on the lot in 1979. Over the years, John and Mae enjoyed traveling, dancing, making new friends, and spending a few months each year farther south. John was an avid fisherman who enjoyed a fish dinner of fresh silver salmon he had just caught from Flathead Lake. He was especially proud of his garden which supplied him any many others with fresh vegetables for the summer. For many years he also enjoyed a round of golf with good friends. But most of all he will be remembered for his warm smile and sense of humor. He always seemed to be at the center of activity in any group, helping plan the course of action. He was a teller of great stories which always had a light side and were often at his own expense. In later years he enjoyed his friends at the Polson Senior Citizen Center, and spending his winters in Las Vegas, playing bingo and eating at the buffet. He was also a longtime member of Lakeside Community Chapel. He will be sorely missed by all. He is survived by his son, Kenneth, and wife, Deborah, of Elmo; a sister, Joyce, and Lorvey Schwinck, of Papillion; grandchildren, Stephen Kacirek of Everett, Wash., and Phillip Kacirek of Duschesne, Utah; a niece, Nancy, and Michael Feldman, of Portland; sister-in-law, Mildred Henderson, of Las Vegas; brother-in-law, Richard, and Suzie Gustafson, of Paso Robles, Calif. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mae; his brother, George; and sister, Blanch. A memorial service will be held at 11 am. Saturday, May 15, at the Lakeside Community Chapel, Lakeside. Memorials may be sent to Lakeside Community Chapel or Polson Senior Citizens Center.