Funeral services for longtime Gordon optometrist and community leader Michael “Mike” Kacere Sr are Friday, Feb 17, 2023 at 2:00 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo, NE
Burial will be at the Omaha National Cemetery in Omaha
Online condolences may be left at prussnabity.com
Michael Joseph Kacere Sr was born on May 17, 1922, in Cedar Rapids, IA, and passed away peacefully on Feb 1, 2023, at the age of 100 surrounded by his loving family.
Mike was one of 5 children of Farris (Joseph) Kacere and Mary Khawaja, who both immigrated from Lebanon in the early 1900s. They settled in Cedar Rapids where Joseph was to be the priest of St George Syrian Orthodox Church.
Father Joseph and youngest son, Frankie, died in a car accident in 1933. Mike was younger than his surviving siblings – Jennie, George, and Nina. He graduated from McKinley High School in Cedar Rapids in 1940 and worked at a grocery store and a ladies shoe store until he entered the service in 1942.
Mike was a World War II veteran who served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 until 1945. He was a navigator on a B-17 bomber and completed 25 missions in the European Theater of Operation.
After the war, Mike decided to use his GI Bill to become an optometrist. He entered college and received a doctorate degree in optometry in 1949 from Northern Illinois College of Optometry.
Because his brother-in-law had an optometry practice in Chadron, NE, Mike settled in Rushville, NE, to open an optometry office. In January 1954, he met the love of his life, Loretta Yanney.
After a short courtship, they were married on June 27,1954. The couple moved the next year to Gordon, where he continued his optometry practice serving the people of rural Nebraska and South Dakota.
Mike and Loretta lived in Gordon for the next 60 years, raising sons Rich and Mike Jr and daughters Judy, Janie, and for too brief a time infant Lori Ann.
They became prominent pillars of the community. Mike served on the Gordon school board, performed in several community playhouse shows, painted signs for the city and many businesses, served on civic organizations, and loved his bowling and golf leagues.
Mike was a Master Mason and a Scottish Rite Shriner. He also served as the Job’s Daughters Associate Bethel Guardian of Bethel #50 and as Associate Grand Guardian for the state of Nebraska in 1978-79.
After retirement, Mike enjoyed working in the pro shop at the Gordon Country Club. He and Loretta also loved traveling, so they visited friends and family all across the country.
The family took long car rides from Gordon to Cedar Rapids every Easter, to every family event from California to Michigan (and everywhere in between), and to many Nebraska football games, including bowl games. Mike and Loretta also traveled to Europe, Japan and Australia to visit family and friends.
In 2015, Mike and Loretta moved to Wahoo, NE to be closer to their children’s families. They enjoyed every birthday, holiday, births of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and other important events while they were living in Wahoo.
The highlight was being able to celebrate Mike’s 100th birthday last April with so many wonderful relatives and friends in Wahoo. Living at Colony Place was a wonderful community of friends until he and Loretta moved to South Haven Living Center in June 2022.
His faith in Christ was an integral part of Mike’s life. He was baptized and married in the Syrian Orthodox Church, but later was a faithful member, lay minister, financial secretary, bulletin printer, jack-of-all trades of St. Marks Episcopal Church in Gordon.
Mike continued to worship regularly at Bethlehem Lutheran in Wahoo and attended Bible study on Sunday mornings, which he enjoyed immensely. His strong legacy of faith, pride in his heritage, and the value he placed on family have left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents, sisters and brothers and their spouses, an infant daughter, Lori Ann and many other people he loved that he was looking forward to seeing again.
Mike is survived by Loretta, his loving and devoted wife of 68 years, daughters Judy (Kevin) Stukenholtz, Janie (Mark) Fouts, sons Mike Kacere Jr, Rich (Piper) Kacere, 15 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren who lovingly called him Ghiddu.
He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and scores of friends that he loved dearly.
Pruss-Nabity Funeral Home of Wahoo is in charge of arrangements for Michael Kacere Sr
Our family celebrated the life of our uncle, Michael J. Kacere this past week. Our mom- his sister, Gen, and our dad, Richard David, were longtime Chadron residents.
The service at the Omaha National Cemetery was solemn and beautiful and the church service in their adopted town, Wahoo, was very well attended. We are grateful for the special time we spent honoring Uncle Mike last week. Our family loves the Chadron, Gordon and Rushville communities and we will always be grateful for our time there.