Lawrence R. Luke, age 89, of Rochester, MN passed away Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 at Maple Manor Nursing Home where he had resided for the last four years.
Lawrence Ray Luke was born Dec. 19, 1926 in Agar, SD to Rev. Norval and Blanche (Busjahn) Luke. He was raised in several small towns in South Dakota and graduated from high school in St. Lawrence in 1945. He graduated from South Dakota State College in Brookings and then taught school in St. Lawrence, Arlington and Wessington Springs, SD. He also coached basketball in St. Lawrence. On Oct. 28, 1951 he married Allene Flint in St. Lawrence. They moved to Wallace, ID where he was also a teacher and coach, and worked in the grocery store of his brother-in-law, John Lovelace. In 1960 he went to work for Osco Drug, first in Waterloo, IA, then Lafayette, IN, before moving to Rochester in 1964.
He worked and was a manager at both the downtown and Apache Mall Osco stores in Rochester, retiring in 1988. He was a member of Oak Hills Wesleyan Church, where he served as Board member and as Treasurer for many years. Lawrence enjoyed fishing, reading and learning about history, and his grandchildren. Survivors include his wife, Allene, three sons, Monte; and Lyndon (Tami) both of Rochester; and Brian of Boston, MA; three granddaughters, Camille, Jamie, and Mallory all of Rochester; two step-grandchildren, Carissa (Eliot) Bublitz of Rochester, and Cody Noble of Winona; two great granddaughters, Ally Campbell, and Kennedy Roemer, both of Rochester; his brother, Duane (Nancy) of Wayzata, MN; many nieces and nephews, and his Luke cousins in Michigan. His parents, two brothers, and one sister preceded him in death.
The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at Oak Hills Wesleyan Church with Rev. Janet L. Fischer officiating. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens. Friends may call from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday at Mahn Family Funeral Home – Rochester Chapel, and one hour before the service Thursday at the church. The family would like to thank the staffs at Maple Manor Nursing Home and St. Croix Hospice for their care and concern for Lawrence. Memorials are suggested to Mayo Clinic for Parkinson's and Lewy Body dementia research.
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