Duane Eugene Buerstetta

Duane Eugene Buerstetta, 83, of Leesburg, Florida and Lincoln, Nebraska passed away peacefully in Lincoln on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Duane was born on November 6, 1941, in Tecumseh, NE, the third and last child of Charles and Irene (Fisher) Buerstetta.

He is survived by his loving wife, Mary; children Grant (Jennifer) of Weston, CT, Aaron of White House Station, NJ, and Ann of Pittstown, NJ; stepchildren Bryan (Jessica) Scherbarth of Omaha, NE and Alan (Nancy) Crist and Jeff (Acacia) Crist both of Lincoln, NE; sisters-in-law Esther Buerstetta of Naperville, IL and Ronna Buerstetta of Tecumseh, NE; ex-wife Eleanor Buerstetta of Clinton, NJ; 5 grandchildren and 8 step grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Kenneth of Naperville, IL and Jon of Tecumseh, NE.

Duane contracted the dreaded polio virus in the epidemic of 1952 at the age of 10 but successfully negotiated the rest of his life in a wheelchair with dignity and great determination. An avid trombone player in his high school concert band, he graduated from Tecumseh High School in 1960. While working full-time, Duane attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln where he resourcefully overcame the architectural barriers of the business college in Burnett Hall (a 3-story building with no elevator) by paying Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity members to carry him (in his wheelchair) up or down the stairs to classrooms. This arrangement required consistently precise choreography to be in the right place at the right time to meet his ride! Duane transferred as a Junior and graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 1967 with a BS in Business Administration and Accounting. At UNO, he was inducted into the accounting and business honorary societies: Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma.

His 51-year career in retailing started with clerical work for Gold’s of Lincoln while attending college in 1961 and advanced eventually to Controller at Brandeis in Omaha where he worked until 1979. Looking for brighter opportunities, Duane and his family moved to New Jersey in 1979 where he took up responsibilities as Vice President and Controller at Hahne’s Department store in Newark, NJ, a chain of upscale stores in New Jersey that were then part of Associated Dry Goods. After the acquisition by May Department Store Company, Duane moved to the role of Director of Merchandise Planning at Lord and Taylor on Fifth Ave, New York City, to which he commuted from Central New Jersey by car and train for many years. Finally, Duane took the position of Director of Financial Reporting for Foot Locker Worldwide Financial Service Center in Camp Hill, PA from which he retired in 2012. Throughout his successful professional career, he continued to overcome barriers to his success. He achieved a tremendous degree of success through a combination of continual education and determined perseverance. As technology emerged and evolved, he always maintained a position at the forefront, learning new skills that allowed him to be a pioneer in the use of computers in facilitating the financial management of increasingly large retail organizations. In the process of his own continuing education, he mentored many young executives who benefited greatly from his experience, insight and patience.

Duane and Mary, a Registered Nurse retired in 2012 purchased a second home in Lincoln to facilitate quality time for half of each year with the Nebraska families while retaining their Harrisburg, Pennsylvania home (eventually transitioning to a condo in New Jersey) to spend time with the East Coast families. They enjoyed traveling together, including an annual summertime escape to their condo at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Wintertime weather finally converted Duane and Mary into “snowbirds” in 2018, when they purchased a home in the Legacy of Leesburg in Florida for winter residence, maintaining the Lincoln residence for summertime occupancy. Throughout these years, Duane and Mary enjoyed many special moments with their children and grandchildren.

Starting from the harrowing experience of surviving polio as a young boy, Duane developed a lifelong belief in the value of education. Imbued with a work ethic built over decades by his family of Nebraska farmers, Duane understood the value of hard work and dedication – to family and to profession. Duane embodied a strong and positive reflection of the accomplishments that are possible with a positive, can-do attitude. His life serves as an example of perseverance in overcoming significant challenges in pursuit of a life of success. He will be remembered lovingly by his family as a true example of great strength and devotion.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday August 15th, 2025 at 11:00 AM at The Lincoln Firefighters Hall 241 Victory Lane, Lincoln, NE 68528. Memorials are designated to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 733 Third Ave 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10017 in honor of his daughter Ann or to the family for future designation.