Ted Will Lubeck

Ted was born on August 10, 1918, to William Henry Lubeck and Vera Bailey Lubeck in Salt Lake City. He had one brother and two sisters and all lived through the hard times of the Great Depression. He attended McKinley Elementary, Lincoln Junior High, and graduated from South High School. He married Veda Erekson on May 2, 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple. They met in Oakley, Summit County, at a community dance. She preceded him in death on August 27, 2005. He missed her more than words can tell.

As a boy he loved to fish and hunt, play marbles and tops, basketball, tennis and softball. He played organized softball with his friends until he was 35. After they were married Ted and Veda bought their home in 1944 and lived in the same home their entire lives. Ted was drafted into the Army in 1944 and served until the end of the war in 1946. His departure to the Phillipines was delayed due to mom's pregnancy and the ship he was scheduled to take sank and most of the personnel died. He was a member of the 37th Infantry. In the Phillipines he went through the jungles and mountains and villages trying to capture the hiding enemy. His unit was often the subject of sniper fire and they were often involved in close, silent hand-to-hand combat. He did not like to talk about sleeping in foxholes and trenches and eating C-rations and living among the bugs and snakes and malaria. He contracted what was then called "jungle rot" and his legs and feet itched the rest of his life. On one occasion he was lost alone behind enemy lines for 10 days and it was feared he was a POW. He lived off bananas and thereafter had a hard time eating a banana. He was a typical soldier of that generation and had a hard time adjusting when he returned and a harder time talking about his experiences in later life. After the War he went back to work and continued to enjoy his family and his life-long friends. Ted worked at several jobs, mostly inside wholesale sales in the appliance industry, retiring in 1984 at age 66. When his young sons felt they needed something Ted got a part-time job and worked two jobs and 14 hours a day and more for many years. He stayed loyal to his friends, and had "clubs" with his friends meeting monthly for their entire lives until their health prevented their close association, but even to the end they all remained friends. He enjoyed bowling and had many friends from the Pal-D-Mar Bowling Lanes where he worked part time and spent many happy hours amongst friends. He became an accomplished bowler and in 1953 he and his partner won the Utah State doubles championship. He was ever the "gentle" man, hardly ever angry and was mild-mannered to mom and always tried to please her. He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife, parents and a sister Wilmena Koji and two infant sons Brent and Dan.

Survived by brother Don Lubeck, sister Vauna Garfield, his two sons Carl (June), Bruce (Karen), eight grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the care givers for dad in the past 18 months at the Utah State Veterans Nursing Home, Welcome Home and Superior Health.

Funeral services will be Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 11 a.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary (3401 S. Highland Drive) with a viewing starting at 9:30 a.m. Interment at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.