Raymond Lemke Memorial
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Transcript of Raymond Lemke Memorial
Raymond Louis LemkeJuly 25, 1929 – February 1, 2013
Raymond Louis Lemke, age 83 of Plattsmouth, passed away at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha after complications from open-heart surgery. Raymond was born in Cozad, Neb. He served in the Army in the First Calvary Division in the Korean War. He married his wife, Gwenivere Case, on August 6, 1955, at St. Columbkille Church in Papillion. Raymond owned a barbershop in Papillion. He is also known for giving dance lessons and had a television show, Let’s Dance. Later, he and Gwen founded an insurance agency, Shelter Insurance, and a real estate company, Action Real Estate, in Sarpy County. Raymond followed that success with a psychotherapy practice and holistic health center. Raymond then went on to become a successful author with the book, Yes You Can, and a national convention speaker. Raymond enjoyed flying an ultralight plane that he built himself and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Raymond is survived by his wife, Gwenivere; his sons, RL and wife Amy, Todd and wife Sandy, Brad, and Tyler; grandchildren, William, Mitchell, Casey, Alex, Morgan, Miles, Sarah, Danielle, and Chad; siblings, Lou Lemke, Annamarie Miller and husband Ves, Lloyd Lemke and wife Marie, and Lois Zoucha. Raymond was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Kay Schmeeckle, and granddaughter Vivian Leigh Lemke.
Ray’s LifeA Memoir by Raymond Lemke
Are you looking for the
solution, or are you
bathing in the problem?”
These words could have been the life motto
of Raymond Lemke, a husband, a father, and a
friend counted on by many.
His memoir, Ray’s Life, explores many of
the problems Ray encountered over the years as
well as the solutions he developed to overcome
them. When Ray came down with polio at age
8, he not only recovered, he taught himself
to walk again — so well, he went on to teach
televised dance lessons. When Ray developed
a persistent childhood stutter, he challenged
himself to overcome it by talking to his pets and
his cars, then with speech courses, and finally
took on a speaking career. Ray’s service in the
Korean War left him with hearing problems.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he threw
himself into a succession of profitable and
not-so-profitable businesses. “Every time I get
knocked down,” Ray writes, “I see how quickly
I can get up. Life is going to knock you down.
You’ll see the advantage once you stand up.”
The opportunities for being knocked down
and getting back up were numerous, as Ray
tells in this his second book. He worked at more
than thirty-seven different jobs in his lifetime,
usually at businesses he owned or in which he
partnered. From his very first job shining shoes
in his dad’s barbershop to the pinnacle of his
career as a public speaker, Ray shares the ups
and downs of business life freely.
Business was a never-ending passion of
Ray’s, but Ray’s Life shows readers so much
more. His relationship with Gwen, his wife of
fifty-seven years, began on a dance floor, and
the photos and stories Ray shares indicate that
“Ray spent the last six months compiling his memoir, Ray’s Life. Below is a
synopsis, with a look into the exciting life of Raymond Lemke.
fun never left their side. Vacations with friends,
parties every Christmas, and yes, owning a
business or two together, are just a few of the
moments detailed inside the pages.
Ray’s boys, RL, Todd, Brad, and Tyler,
kept him searching for the next trip, the next
project, that would keep them all busy and
give everyone a chance to learn and grow. Ray
recounts one such opportunity, a camping trip
to Canada, with chagrin: “Without a doubt, if
we could have seen in advance what was going
to happen, we could probably have made better
decisions.” Somewhere, a bear and a stern
Canadian Mountie undoubtedly agree.
As his sons grew up and his careers
changed, one constant escape remained in
Ray’s life: flying. Ray’s Life describes each of
the planes he’s flown, from the little yellow J3
Cub in high school to the single-engine plane
he built himself, a beauty right until the day a
buyer wrecked it.
Building things by hand was simply part
of Ray’s being, long before ‘Do It Yourself’
became a trendy catch phrase. Planes, homes,
ponds, and ziplines were all attempted in turn.
“Energy comes from enthusiasm,” Ray writes.
“If you’re enthusiastic about your project, you’ll
have all the energy you need.”
Certainly all who knew him can agree that
his was a life lived enthusiastically.
Compiled here is a list of the various jobs
and employers discussed in Ray’s Life:
• Shoe shine boy
• Paper boy
• Odd jobs on farms
• Egg candler at a grocery store
• Farm hand with Lawrence Hilger
• Western Electric
• Magazine salesman
• Muler at Adams Ranch
• Fry cook at the Merry-Go-Round
• Barber in Edgar, Neb.
• Korean War Veteran
• American Republic Health Insurance
• Barber in Gretna, Neb.
• Barber in Papillion, Neb.
• Let’s Dance host on Channel 3
• Real estate agent
• Chinchillas
• Ray’s Drive-In
• Vending machines
• The Stump Room
• Action Real Estate
• Government offices
• MFA Insurance
• Court-appointed appraiser
• Galaxy Construction
• Land developer
• Investor in Auto Gyro U18
• Motivational Center and Pyschotherapy
• Author of Yes You Can• Professional speaker
• Adult management course at
Creighton University
• Old Market Limousine Service
• Ollie the Trolley
• Omaha Magazine subscriptions
• Tram at Omaha Zoo
• Tincher Automobile Company
parts delivery
• Gifford Farms guide
For more information about Raymond
Louis Lemke, his books and photos, please
visit raymondlemke.com.
A Memorial Service Celebrating the Life ofRaymond Louis Lemke
February 9, 2013
12:00pm Viewing
1:00pm Service
Musical Prelude Violinist, Richard L. Ness
Opening Prayer Bud Bunn, Chaplain
Opening Remarks Clint Maun
Speakers RL Lemke
Ron Ward
Gene Tschida
Memorial Video “My Way” by RL Lemke
Tribute Clint Maun
Musical Tribute “Ave Maria” Violinist, Richard L. Ness
Closing Prayer Bud Bunn, Chaplain
Closing Music Violinist, Richard L. Ness
Private Interment, Cedar Dale Cemetery in Papillion with military rites by Millard American Legion Post 374 and VFW Post 8334.
Memorials to Siena/Francis House or the Wounded Warrior Project.