A Funeral Mass for Lucille Dufek, age 99, of O'Neill, will be at 10:30 A.M., Thursday, November 2, 2017, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in O'Neill, with burial in the O'Neill Cemetery.

Visitation will be Wednesday, November 1, 2017, from 5-8 P.M., with a 7:00 P.M. Rosary at Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill.

Fr. Bernard Starman will officiate the mass with the Deacon M.J. Kersenbrock delivering the Homily.

Lucille passed away peacefully on October 29, 2017, in her home, surrounded by her children.

Arrangements are under the direction of Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill.  Please visit biglinsmortuary.com to leave online condolences.

Memorials may be made to the family for designation for the St Patrick's Foundation.

Lucille Marie Hickey was born in O'Neill on March 22 ^nd , 1918 to John and Mary Hickey. She and her younger sister Agnes Claire lived on the family farm in rural O'Neill.  She shared many stories with her children and grandchildren about growing-up on a farm: the many chores she was tasked with, surviving the great depression, living under simple means and how important her faith was to her all her life.

She attended and graduated from St. Mary's Academy in 1936.  She began teaching in a rural O'Neill school upon graduation and attended Wayne State College in the summers to further her teaching education.  Her reflection on teaching was always positive even though she taught kindergarten-through-eighth grades in a one room school house. She recalled walking miles to the rural school from her temporary boarding house, chopping wood for the stove, filling the kerosene lamps for light, and all this before she would begin her classes.  She even taught music, forming a small band that was selected by the county superintendent to play at a local graduation ceremony.   Decades later, many of her students would share their collective memories about the wonderful impact she had on them in those few short years.

A calling for the medical profession took Lucille from teaching to nursing.  In the autumn of 1940, she attended St. Vincent's Hospital School of Nursing in Sioux City, Iowa.  She continued her education with post-graduate work at St. Joseph's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois with an emphasis in operating room procedures.  She did short stints of work in St. Louis, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois before returning to Sioux City to work as an instructor at the St. Vincent's School of Nursing while working as the operating room supervisor for the hospital.  She was nominated for national recognition for her nursing skills and was only one of 10 nurses in the country that received an award as the "Typical American Nurse."

In 1947, two physicians from O'Neill, Drs. French and Brown, recruited Lucille to return to O'Neill to operate the first hospital.  While in Sioux City, she met Joe Dufek and they were married in O'Neill in January of 1948. Lucille and Joe managed the Doctor's hospital until St. Anthony's hospital was built.  She and Joe transferred to the new hospital with Lucille serving as the operating room supervisor and Joe as the Central Supply manager and operating room assistant. Many years of dedicated service helped grow the hospital into a significant regional medical facility.

Joe and Lucille had seven children between 1948 and 1959.  Joe passed away in 1967 and Lucille continued to work at St. Anthony's as the OR supervisor, central receiving manager, and dedicated employee.  She worked at St. Anthony's until her retirement in 1995.  She received several honors and awards from the hospital over her 43 years of service.  She held leadership positions and was an active member in the St. Patrick's Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of America, the Legion of Mary and the Associates of St. Francis.  She was the first recipient of the John C. McGinn Lay Ministry Award from the Archdiocese of Omaha. She received The Caring Kind Award from the Nebraska Hospital Association, the Sisters of St. Francis Health Care Award , and served as queen of the St. Patrick's Day parade in 1988.  She was the first woman elected to the St. Mary's School Board and the first woman selected to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Communion for St. Patrick's church. She served as co-chair of the fund-raising campaign for St. Mary's schools.

Upon her retirement, Lucille continued with her passion for service by helping with Meals-on-Wheels, the monthly blood drive at Avera-St. Anthony's hospital, St. Patrick's funeral committee, the sacristan for mass at the Golden Age Center –setting up the altar and transferring patients from their rooms to the gathering place, and pedicare.  For years, Lucille, in a Christ-like fashion, would care for the feet of the elderly.  She would travel to homes, the hospital and the nursing homes where she would provide much needed care for their feet.

In her retirement she enjoyed playing cards with her many friends (she learned to play Bridge at the age of 80.)  She enjoyed gardening, visiting her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and keeping up with the news.

She was known for her baking: bread, caramel rolls, and cinnamon rolls.  She loved baking rolls and sharing them with her many friends, the sisters of St. Francis and the many priests that served St. Patrick's church.

She was grateful to live her last years at home with the loving care of her daughter Kathleen, and support from her other children, grandkids and many friends.

Lucille is survived by her six children; Kathleen (Delbert) Fleek from Chambers, Nebraska; Mary Jeanne Gillette from Aurora, Colorado; Nancy (Lee) Pierson, from Sinclair, Wyoming; Elizabeth (Mike) Givens from O'Neill, Nebraska; Barbara (Jon) Swegarden from Fargo, North Dakota; Jim (Susie) from Cape Girardeau, Missouri; 19 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Lucille is preceded in death by her husband Joe 1967, her daughter Patricia in 1994, her parents, John in 1967 and Mary Hickey in 1977, her sister, Agnes Claire Hickey in 1993, her son-in-law Darrel Gillette in 2004, and many cousins and relatives.