Lucille Vogel

Lucille Elizabeth (Jungst) Vogel was born Sept. 12, 1921, to Arthur and Letha (Gunn) Jungst in the same home in which her father was born, located in rural Afton. She graduated from Afton High School in 1939, and began teaching the same fall in rural Union County Schools. She was too young to sign a contract, so taught for two weeks without a contract, but still got paid.

She was married to Henry Louis Vogel on April 21,1942, and passed to her eternal rest on the same date in 2019, eager to celebrate her 77th anniversary with Henry. Three sons were born to this union. Lucille and Henry operated a family farm near Afton, and Lucille was also a homemaker, wife, mother, volunteer and lifelong teacher. At a time when many women her age didn’t graduate from high school, she went on to graduate from Creston Community College in 1960 and Drake University in 1979. She retired in 1984, after 33 years in classrooms in Arispe, Shannon City and Afton.

Lucille then pursued hobbies in oil painting, crochet, cross stitch and other crafts. She enjoyed researching and documenting family history and was proud to trace her lineage back to 1399. She was active in Creston Area Retired School Personnel Association and Blue Grass Visual Arts Guild. Due to her husband’s illness, she moved from the family farm to Creston in 1995. Henry died in 1997. and she moved to Auburn, Nebraska, in 2005 to live near family.

She was an active member of the Catholic church in whatever community she resided, including St. Edward’s (Afton), Holy Spirit (Creston), St. Joseph’s (Auburn) and St. Leo’s (Grand Island). She volunteered at schools in Creston and Auburn. Upon moving in 2011 to Riverside Independent Living in Grand Island, Nebraska, she showed you are never too old to make new friends, helping to orient new residents, teaching them various card and board games and Wii bowling. She was a fierce competitor to the end. She was an excellent writer, with weekly missals to family and friends, monthly pieces in the Riverside newsletter and regular stories in the Afton Star, as well as documenting all of her life memories for her family. She was an avid collector of all things owl. She loved being close to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and actively bragged on their talents.

Lucille was preceded in death by parents, Arthur and Letha (Gunn) Jungst; husband Henry; son Henry Jr. and wife Nancy; sisters and husbands, Grace and Earl Bills and Ellen and Lloyd Kendall; brother Edward and wife Frances; and sister-in-law Bettie Jungst.

She is survived by sons, Roger (Linda) Vogel of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Stan (Mary) Vogel of Omaha, Nebraska; grandchildren, Jennifer (Jeff) King and Valerie (Jeff) Chmelka, Joe (Jennifer) Vogel Fort Hood, Texas, and Ryan (Sarah) Vogel Omaha, Nebraska; and great-grandchildren, Abbey, Maddey and Alex King and Delaney, Connor and Claire Chmelka, all of Grand Island. She also leaves behind brother Robert (Betty) Jungst of Creston and Richard Jungst of Littleton, Colorado; special “almost” sons, Bob Lee and Jim Mulvihill; as well as numerous nieces and nephews, countless friends of all ages and her beloved goose Penelope.

Funeral services are being provided by Pearson Family Funeral Service of Creston. Memories can be shared online at www.pearsonfuneralhomes.com. The rosary will be 10 a.m. Thursday, April 25, at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Afton, followed by the Mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. with Fr. Ken Halbur as celebrant. Internment will be in St. Edward's Catholic Cemetery and luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to benefit the East Union Schools Elementary library of Afton, Calvert Elementary library of Auburn, the Riverside library of Grand Island or donor's choice.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Monday, April 29, in the Woodland Room of Riverside Lodge, 404 Woodland Drive, in Grand Island, Nebraska.