Donald Lucas

Donald Lucas, 93, Bismarck, passed away on January 16, 2024. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 24 at Church of St. Mary, 806 E Broadway Ave, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E Divide Ave, Bismarck. A rosary/vigil service will begin at 6 p.m.

Burial will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Don Lucas was born in Graceville, Minnesota, on May 13, 1930, the son of William and Helen (Ruddy) Lucas. Don attended schools in Minnesota and North Dakota before graduating from Fargo Central High School in 1948. He enlisted in the Army and was assigned to a physics training school in Bayonne, NJ, graduated, and then completed service at a laboratory in Oakland, California.

Don and Donnie (Don Elda Eckerdt) were married at an Army chapel in 1952. After being honorably discharged, and after the passage of the Korean GI bill, they returned to ND where Don attended UND. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1957. For the next 31 years, Don worked at the then-Amoco Refinery and retired in 1988 as a Manager of Operations. Don and Donnie have two children, Dr. Susan Lucas, of Gillette, WY, and Patricia (Bruce) Senger, Moorhead, MN; grandchildren, Lucas Senger, Dilworth, MN, Jenna (Jon Jordan) Senger, St. Paul, MN; and great-grandchildren, Sofie, Charlie, and Francesca.

Celebrating Don’s life would be incomplete without mentioning Donnie. Beginning with those start-up years, Donnie did all those things young mothers do, plus sewed everyone’s clothing, including suits for Don, knitted outerwear for immediate family members, was a girl scout leader, gardener, baker, owned and managed a women’s apparel shop, all while holding her family close. Meanwhile, Don was a writer, speaker, sometimes square dance caller, tutor at the School of St. Anne, and one who helped make and distribute thousands of rosaries to Catholic users both domestic and foreign. They were best remembered for those things done together; their names were pronounced as one single word. Together they golfed, bird-watched, hiked, skied, tent-camped, RVed, routinely attended Elderhostels, travelled alone and with groups both domestic and abroad, attended language and dance classes, organized and hosted trips to Hawaii before it became trendy, loved Broadway Theatre and went often, then spent winters in Australia, Oahu, New Zealand, and Texas. While wintering in Texas, they both tutored Hispanic children. Lasting friendships were formed with an extended family all of whom shared their love of ballroom dancing and all other forms of dance. While dancing their way through life, they found a favorite waltz seemingly written for that first date and every day thereafter. At the first strains of a waltz, Donnie’s determination always showed. She would step out of her shoes, kick them to the side of the hall, look up at Don and say… “Now, don’t hold back!”

Those were the best of times!

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Church of St. Anne, 1321 Braman Ave, Bismarck.