Norbert Joseph Luken

On August 21, 2021, Norbert Joseph Luken passed away. He was the beloved husband of the late Carol Helen Luken (nee Ziehl); devoted father of Barbara A. Luken-Kraft, and her husband David A., Christopher J. Luken, Mark J. Luken, Patricia M. Luken-Stroh, and her husband Douglas W., Scott M. Luken, and the late Richard N. Luken; brother of the late Henry G. Luken, Jr.; loving grandfather of Rebecca E. Kraft-Knopp, Jessica A. Kraft-Ramsel, and her husband Kyle L., Zachary A. Kraft, and his wife Olivia M., Joshua D. Stroh, Nora J. Stroh; cherished great grandfather of Eleanor A. Ramsel, and Colton L. Ramsel.

Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the Schimunek Funeral Home, Inc., 9705 Belair RD, Nottingham, MD 21236, on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, August 26, 2021, at St. Joseph Church, Fullerton, 8420 Belair RD, Nottingham, MD 21236 at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Moreland Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Norbert’s name to the Special Olympics Maryland, 3701 Commerce Drive, Suite 103, Baltimore, Maryland 21227, or www.somd.org, or Boys & Girls Club of America, P.O. Box 117431, Atlanta, GA 30368-7431, or www.bgca.org, or Gilchrist, Attn: Development Department 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031, or www.gilchristcares.org

Condolences may be left for the family at www.schimunekfuneralhomes.com

Good Morning to our family and friends,

We certainly never thought we would meet here again only 28 days after burying our mom. But here we are. At first I was a bit lost on what to say today. My husband and oldest daughter suggested to use the Scout Law, since Dad enjoyed being an active adult in Troop 746. So here it goes:

A Scout Is:

Trustworthy – Dad was someone you could depend on for honest, straight forward financial advice – sometimes whether you wanted it or not!

Loyal – He was loyal to his family and provided us with a very good life. He made sure his children and his grandchildren had the opportunity for a decent education. He also donated time and financial wisdom to any organization he was involved with. And we are pretty sure now that he stuck around to make sure his wife was taken care of before he moved on. You can’t get more loyal than that.

Helpful – I’m not to sure he ever helped us with homework, I can’t remember that far back. But he did teach us to be helpful, just to jump in when ever we saw a need. He also did volunteer for the Exhange club of Highlandtown, Troop 746 and served as a director on various Catholic school boards.

Friendly – He was that, always welcomed a conversation with anyone. We can’t remember a time that Dad was not friendly. Well.. maybe when one of us was in trouble…but we won’t go there today.

Courteous – Dad was always polite and used good manners. He did instill in us to be respectful of others. A yes or no Sir or ma’am was expected when talking to other adults.

Kind – we never saw our Dad be un-kind to anyone and in living that way he taught us to be kind to others.

Obedient – of course this was expected in the household and in turn that gave us boundries to live by. By being a model citizen himself, he gave us a really good example to follow.

Cheerful – Dad was more of a sensible man, a bit more grounded than others. But he did spread cheer, when he sang in the choir, when he could relax and spend time at the beach, traveling with mom, or eating crabs with his friend Mr John, going on scouting activities or trips, definetly when he won a game of bingo and especially when he beat his daughter’s or Mr Don (his best friend) in a game of dominoes.

Thrifty – we all know this was is true! He worked hard, invested well and didn’t waste money. He’d be the first to suggest eating in Delaware on vacation, so he didn’t pay MD sales tax. He also would drive 5 to 10 miles around a 95 toll. He’d also be proud that I got 2 funerals out of the dresses I’ve bought and that Trish reused the display boards and scout trip maps instead of buying new ones. So Dad you did good in teaching us the value of money and to be thrifty.

Brave – we all really needed to think about this one, of course qrowing up our Dad was always brave and never afraid of anything – isn’t eveyones Dad. But in looking back we think the only thing he was afraid of was his second heart surgery, he never let on he was afraid, but we think that was the hardest thing he had faced.

Clean – Dad lived a clean life, he liked everything situated and planned out, that was just how his brain worked. He was not one to color outside of the lines and sometimes that was hard with 5 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, when those lines could be all over the page. Believe it or not Dad, we have all survived and will continue to do so.

Reverent – this was a given, a devoted Catholic – church every Sunday, he especially liked going to church when Ms Ann would take him to breakfast afterwards. He also loved to sing. Being a member of the St Joe’s and Archdiocine choir were activities he really enjoyed doing. We truly believe meeting Pope John Paul II, not once but twice, was one of the the biggest highlights in his life.

Those were the 12 points of the scout law, which every scout in his daily life is to strive to accomplish. For never being a boy scout himself we’d say Dad did a pretty good job of living and teaching his children how to live by the scout law.

Dad, Pop-Pop, we thank you for your dedication to your family,

the wisdom you have shared, the caring heart you have instilled in us,

and for the love you have given to your children, your grandchildren

and your great-grandchildren.

We would like to thank everyone for your love and support, as we try to understand and process this past month.

We will miss you Daddy, can you do us a favor…

when you catch up to Momma please say hi and give her kisses from all of us.