Lynn Vern Loucks
1945 - 2020
Lynn Vern Loucks, son of Vernon and
Pearl (Koehn) Loucks, was born in Bethesda Hospital in Goessel, KS on
July 5, 1945. Lynn's family lived near Canton, Kansas and attended
Spring Valley Mennonite Church until 1952 when they moved to
Protection, Kansas. Lynn attended first grade at Sunny Hill Grade
School south of Canton and grades 2 through 8 in Protection Grade
School. His sixth grade teacher, Irene Keasling, read The Secret of
the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark in class that influenced Lynn's desire
to go to South America someday. Lynn graduated from Protection High
School in 1963 where he played basketball, ran ½ mile in track
qualifying for the state meet, and football. Lynn was baptized in the
Protection Mennonite Church in 1960. Lynn earned an Associate of Arts
degree at Hesston College with a major in Elementary Education. He
graduated from Bethel College with a B.S degree in Elementary
Education in 1967, and an M. Ed from Wichita State University in
1991.
Lynn's teaching career began in
Wichita, KS teaching 6th grade at Linwood Elementary. During his
second year at Linwood, he was drafted. He contacted Mennonite
Central Committee and joined the Teachers Abroad Program coupled with
community development Bolivia SA. He taught for two years in the
village of Los Tajibos, a national rural, public school where only
Spanish was spoken. He stayed for another term to serve as the
director of education which included supervising MCC teachers,
relating to the local Bolivian education office, and scouting for new
villages for future MCC volunteers working in education, health, and
agriculture. In late 1974 he returned to Newton and taught 6th grade
at Santa Fe Middle School. After two years he left teaching to work
in New Creation Fellowship leadership. In 1984, Lynn returned to
teaching 4th grade at Lincoln Elementary. In 1992, he went back to
6th grade and seventh at SFMS and taught middle school science and
social studies there until his retirement in 2008 from USD 373. After
retirement, he taught for two years at Truesdell Middle School in
Wichita followed by 10 years being a paraeducator for special
education students at Hesston High School. From 2001 until
retirement, he worked with Kansas State Department of Education
reviewing science test items and serving on an advisory council. He
and Karen were Science Coordinators in USD 373 during this time.
Karen and he also were adjunct instructors of Elementary Science
Methods since 2005 at Bethel College. Lynn enjoyed all of these
experiences and realized how much there is to know and learn in life.
In 1996, he married Karen Unruh, and
they settled in North Newton where they built a house. Karen was
teaching in the Newton schools grades 3, 4, and 5. Along with her
commitment to family and teaching, she was a pianist most Sundays and
Wednesday evenings. Their summers involved Newton Community Theatre
where all of the family was involved. While Karen was accompanying
the musical, Michelle and Aaron were on stage, Lynn helped backstage
constructing sets. He claimed he had the best seat in the house by
being backstage. He became a member of Faith Mennonite Church in 1996
and transferred his membership to Bethel College Mennonite Church in
2012.
Lynn enjoyed recent trips abroad. In
March 2009, Karen's son, Aaron, was studying for a semester in Italy
as required by his architecture program at K-State. In June 2015,
Lynn took Karen to visit South America. They first visited Cuzco and
Machu Picchu in Peru and then continued to Santa Cruz and Los
Tajibos, Bolivia. In Los Tajibos, Lynn met five of his former
students, visited the new school in Los Tajibos, and had a lengthy
visit with Baltazar Opimí. Baltazar was the leader of the Tajibos
when Lynn was a teacher there. One night Baltazar asked Lynn, "Do
you want to hear a caso contable, or an oral traditional story? Lynn
said, "Yes." From him, Lynn learned some of his stories
that he recorded on paper, and that Lynn has told in schools or other
venues. In recent years, Lynn realized that these stories are no
longer being told. He felt like a Keeper of Chiquitano oral
traditional stories. This was an honor and a burden. While visiting
Los Tajibos, Lynn learned from the current superintendent of the
school that there is no record of the early school during the time
Lynn was teaching there. Being the "Gringo Teacher", Lynn
copied some photos of the early school while he taught there with
historical information about it to send to him.
Lynn's family purchased a gas station
in Protection in 1965. Since he was going to college, living in
Bolivia or Newton, he realized that a history of "Loucks
Service" needed to be recorded. He did that with help from his
brother, Orlin, who partnered with Lynn's dad in the business for 30
years.
Lynn is preceded in death by his
parents; a son, Samuel Lynn, in 1979; and two step-grandchildren,
Tarson and Braxton, in 2012. He is survived by his wife, Karen; his
son, Fred and Erin Loucks of Houston TX; his daughter, Angela and
Sean Alexander of Australia; a step-daughter Michelle (Dyck) and Dan
Ackland of St. George, KS; a step-son, Aaron and Katie Dyck of
Manhattan; a sister, Marlene Vargas of Chicago; a brother, Orlin and
Dora Loucks, of Great Bend, KS; and seven wonderful grandchildren,
Harper, Griffin, and Finn Loucks, Isobel Alexander, Caden and Laken
Ackland, William and James Dyck.
His favorite Bible verse: Micah 6:8b
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
The 23rd Psalm has always been
important to him as well.
His favorite songs
When peace like a river...It is well
with my soul
To God be the Glory
We will not have a funeral at this time
due to the rising cases of coronavirus. A time of remembrance and
celebration of Lynn's life may be planned sometime in the future.
