Jonas Sarka, 95

In 1928, in Vepriai, Lithuania, Jonas was born...well that's a story in itself. He is a man with three birthdays. The first story says he was born on April 1st, but his mom did not want an April Fool baby, so she said he was born on March 31st. Or was he born on March 31st, but they did not get into town to register the birth until April 1st? In the end, his legal or "official" date is June 1, 1928, which was the date they used on his papers to come to America. The family story is that the Roman numeral for April is IV, but the letters were switched to VI and became June. So, in real time, he is already 96, but legally only 95. So, the family has always celebrated all three birthdays.

It was a time of turmoil as Lithuania was invaded by both Russians and Germans and the family left in 1944 with few belongings in two wagons, 6 kids, a cow and suitcase full of bacon for trade or consumption. They witnessed quite a few atrocities, including the bombing of Dresden, where luckily, he and his brother had spent the day, but left just before the event. After 5 years in Germany, living in a DP camp, they immigrated to the U.S., living first in Elkhorn, celebrating reaching legal drinking age and then moving to Omaha. He joined the Army and was sent right back to Germany, where he was a radio operator. He had a great story of meeting the Pope who went to touch his full head of hair to bless him and instead gave the Pope a shock of static electricity!

Jonas went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and came back to Omaha, eventually marrying Marta Trautrimas in 1963. They were married 53 years when she passed away in 2016 and had four daughters. He was a registered land surveyor which suited him perfectly because he loved the outdoors. It also, gave him the opportunity to travel having done jobs in Wyoming (Yellowstone), Arizona, New Mexico and even South America! In his day he also enjoyed hunting and fishing with his buddies.

Jonas was very active with the Lithuanian Community, scouts, choir, and folk dancing. He loved singing (in multiple languages) and would break out in song at any time. He was a man with a story to tell and would work on and send articles to the Lithuanian paper, Draugas (Friend) on a wide variety of subjects. He loved woodworking. Everyone in the family and many of his friends have one of his projects. He could put the most unique objects together from just scraps having such a creative mind. He had a great aptitude for just repurposing materials both from wood and just about anything. His backyard became a unique garden. It has numerous fountains and water wheels just put together from odds and ends. Wind and water features put together in precise measured ways.

His latest activity work was making canes. Each one is unique, showing his special signatures from carving to attaching pins, jewelry or inserts. If a piece of wood looked like a cane to him, it became a cane. Even if it didn't look like a cane, he could make it so.

He loved history having lived through many horrors of WWII (and even digging trenches for the Germans). He was an avid reader of any war history, but then also enjoyed studying the adventures of Lewis and Clark. No doubt, had he been born in that time frame he would have been a member of their expedition. He and Marta enjoyed the Lewis and Clark study group who would meet in Council Bluffs and made many friends there.

Family was very important to Jonas. The more the merrier and if you weren't family, you became it! He loved it when everyone would show up to his house and gather in the basement for a big family meal. Those memories will be greatly missed.

Jonas is preceded in death by his wife Marta.

Survived by his daughters Vaiva Keehn (Rocky), Laima Wilson (Steven), Alma Tomasello (Michael), and Kristina DeLoach (Ron dec.); grandchildren Paul (Jenilynn), Daina, Ryder, Audra, Sofia, and Elena; great-grandchildren Kellon, Kiernan, and Kalder; brother Vytas Sarka; sister Irene Matz