Raymond Steven Rezac died on his 90th birthday, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at his home in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2022, at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff with Fr. Rayappa Konka as celebrant. Cremation will follow services and interment will be held at Fairview Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be Thursday, March 4, from 4-7 p.m. with a Rosary Service at 6 p.m. at Bridgman Funeral Home in Scottsbluff. It is respectfully requested that in lieu of any flowers, memorials in Ray’s honor be made in care of St. Agnes Catholic School, or Knights of Columbus, or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be made by viewing Ray’s memorial page at www.bridgmanfuneralhome.com.
He was born Feb. 26, 1932, at Dante, South Dakota, to Anton and Ludmilla (Novotny) Rezac. He attended school in Charles Mix County, South Dakota, and at Tabor Catholic School. He graduated from Wagner High School in 1949.
His college education at South Dakota State College in Brookings was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army in Europe from July 1953 to May 1955 during the Cold War. He received his South Dakota State bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry in 1956.
He married Theresa Melmer on June 4, 1957, at St. John Catholic Church in Wagner. They had two children, Paul and Joan.
He was employed as a meat grader by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from July 1956 until his retirement in April 1988. He worked in Omaha; South St. Paul, Minnesota; Salt Lake City; Ogden, Utah; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Scottsbluff beginning in 1962.
After his USDA retirement, he worked at Walmart in Scottsbluff in night maintenance until 1998.
He was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff, where he sang in the parish choir and served as a song leader and Eucharistic minister. He was a life member of the Knights of Columbus, of which he was a past grand knight and financial secretary of Council No. 2681. He was a charter member of the Sugar Valley Singers, for which he was treasurer.
He is survived by his wife, Theresa; son Paul (Patty) of Gering, Nebraska; daughter Joan (Todd) von Kampen of North Platte, Nebraska; brother Art (Mary) Rezac of Pierre, South Dakota; grandchildren Kendall (Lindsey) and Ryan Rezac, and Erika, Joshua (Anna), Benjamin and Annetta von Kampen; and great-grandchildren Katelyn and Kylie Rezac, and Emmeline and Jude von Kampen.
He was preceded in death by his parents, five sisters and five brothers.
