Ramon "Ray" Keith Kunc

Ramon (“Ray”) Keith Kunc—loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather—passed away on April 21, 2023, at the age of 94 years. Ray left this world peacefully holding the hand of Ila Mae (Otte) Kunc, his beloved wife of 72.5 years, and surrounded by his family.

Ray was born September 1, 1928, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Rudolph Karl Kunc and Sylvia Belle Kresl Kunc. He grew up in Wilber, Nebraska, where he worked at his father's butcher shop and graduated from Wilber High School in 1946. Ray graduated in 1950 with a degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska, where he played trombone in the marching band and became an ardent Husker football fan.

Ray first met his future wife Ila in 7th grade in Wilber. High school sweethearts, they married on August 5, 1950, and lived for more than 62 years at the home they built in Ralston, where they raised their six children and were founding members of St. Gerald Catholic Church.

A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Ray owned his own business throughout the 1960s, becoming the largest distributor of Eveready batteries in Nebraska and supplying tubes and testing machines for do-it-yourself TV repair in regional drug stores. Ray later worked as a senior accountant for ConAgra in Omaha for nearly 20 years.

In 1968, Ray and Ila began silversmithing. For decades, they sold their beautiful handmade jewelry through several jewelry stores and museum gift shops in Nebraska and across the country. Avid rockhounds, Ray and Ila often returned from camping trips lugging backpacks full of rocks. They extensively traveled the country to add to their collection of rocks, gems, minerals, and fossils, which Ray cut and polished and crafted into jewelry, perfectly round marbles, and translucent agate “stained glass.” Ray and Ila were very active in the Nebraska Mineral & Gem Club, where Ray served in roles including President and Treasurer. His skilled craftsmanship extended to woodworking and oil painting.

Ray never just went out in the woods to walk around—he always had to have a goal, which (beyond rockhounding) included mushroom hunting for morels in the spring and other edible mushrooms in the fall. Ray loved Atomic Fireball jawbreakers, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, card games, and paying himself a salary as the banker in Monopoly. He entertained his family with boogie-woogie, classics, and Latin music on the piano, and Czech and polka music on his accordion and harmonica. In addition to their many camping and rock-hounding trips, Ray and Ila loved to travel and explore nature and history across the US, Europe, Canada, and Mexico.

Ray is preceded in death by his and Ila’s parents, sister Beverly and her husband Bill Becker, infant brother Reed Kunc, son-in-laws Kenny Walton and Tom Lyon, granddaughter Renee Hall Ramsey, and great-grandson Arlo Stover. He is survived by his wife Ila; children Rachel Hall (John), Karen Kunc, Kathy Lyon (Mike Carrasco), Marsha Nyffeler (Russ), Ilene Pinnt (Jeff), and Karl Kunc (Wendy); grandchildren (Jay Hall, Britanie Hall, Michelle Lyon Duvall, Gregory Lyon, Eric Nyffeler, Marissa Nyffeler Stover, Sean Nyffeler, Matthew Pinnt, Casey Pinnt, Katy Kunc Presley, and Keenan Kunc); and great-grandchildren (Wes and Brogan Hall, Leo and Bella Duvall, Oliver and Otto Stover).

PRIVATE FAMILY SERVICES

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Ila Kunc (via the mortuary) to support cerebral palsy care for their great-grandson Otto Stover.