Larry Juracek, age 74, of Winner, passed away on January 23, 2016 at the Winner Regional Healthcare Facility in Winner. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Thursday, January 28, 2016 at the United Methodist Church in Winner. Burial followed at the Winner City Cemetery.
Larry was born on August 31, 1941 in Stuart, NE to Ernie and Edna (Spahn) Juracek. He grew up on the family farm west of Naper, NE. where Larry attended country school and then graduated in 1959 from Naper. Larry had one younger brother, Darrel.
He attended Yankton College for one year then came back to marry his high school sweetheart, Karen Reber, on October 15, 1960. The Lord blessed them with four children, Cheryl Lynn, Angela Jo, Clayton Dean, and Cody James.
They moved to Winner in 1961, where Larry worked for the telephone company for one year then for the Winner City Light Dept. for the next 43 years. He was the foreman of the light crew for the last 25 years of his employment with the city.
Larry and Karen purchased several rental properties, working side by side to fix them up. They also kept hunters in their home during pheasant season and had a pheasant cleaning service for many years. Karen ran a private daycare from their home for many years and Larry was very helpful with the children during meal time and after work. The kids loved Larry’s entertainment! Larry took much pride in his family.
Over the years he attended many music and sporting events of his three children, and more recently, of his two grandsons.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church where, over the years, he taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and served on many committees and projects. He sat on the Camp Fire Girl Council, was active in Winner Lions Club, and was a board member of the Tripp County Historical Society, and also a board member of the Tripp County Library. Larry also coached youth basketball for several years.
In 2008, Larry went on a mission trip to Haiti where he and others helped the Haitian people build solar ovens. Larry truly had a servant’s heart. That trip was a life-changing experience for him and something he spoke of often.
Some of his best-loved hobbies included drawing, painting, reading, and working in his vegetable and flower gardens. He was known for gardening and for the beautiful flowers he raised. He was an avid sports fan of the Winner Warriors, Green Bay Packers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the New York Yankees. Larry got the opportunity to attend home games of all of his favorite teams. He and his good friend, Gary Bowar, went on several baseball trips out east together over the years.
Larry had many friends and enjoyed visiting with his cronies at Lil’ Feller every morning for coffee and Monday mornings at the Legge Agency. He also enjoyed playing cards with the Elite Card club for many years. Larry was a devout Christian and knew someday he would walk with the Lord. He touched many lives over the years and will be remembered as a good friend. Many will miss his good sense of humor!
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