Lucille A. Douglas

Lucille A. Douglas

April 19, 1926 – May 14, 2023

Preceded in death by husband, Fred H. Douglas; parents, Frank and Rose Buono; sisters: Josephine Boyd, Sarah Kelechava, and Angelina Pane; brothers, Carl Buono and Joseph Buono. Survived by children, Leslie A. Douglas (Michael Davlin) and Stephen C. Douglas (Kara Stroh); nieces, nephews, and many friends.

VISITATION: Monday, May 22nd from 5pm to 7pm at the West Center Chapel, followed by VIGIL SERVICE at 7pm.  MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Tuesday, May 23^rd at 10:30am at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific.  Interment, Calvary Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Robert Bellarmine Church, Omaha Public Library Foundation, or a charity of your choice.

To view live broadcasts of the Vigil Service and Mass, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button at the top of the home page.

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Lucille was born on April 19,1926 in Omaha to Sicilian immigrants, Frank and Rose Buono. She was the youngest sister of Josephine, Carl, Sarah, Angelina and Joseph. Because of her birth ranking in the family, she was affectionately referred to as “Babe” by her siblings and “Aunt Babe” by her loving nieces and nephews.

She graduated from Technical High School and began working at the Federal Reserve Bank. It was there that she met her future husband, Fred. They were married on September 4, 1949 at Holy Family Catholic Church and honeymooned in St. Louis, taking in a couple of their beloved Cardinal baseball games. They lived for a brief time with Fred’s parents and then were able to purchase their first home.

Their daughter, Leslie Ann, was born in 1954 and son, Stephen Craig, in 1957. Her husband and her children were the loves of her life. She was a stay-at-home mom who couldn’t wait until her children came home from school to hear how their day had gone. Always attentive and perceptive, she had the ability to draw more information out of us than we wanted to share!

After Steve graduated from Benson High School, she decided she might want to get out of the house. Her sister Angie had already recruited Leslie to take a summer job at Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack so in 1976 she started working as a mutuel clerk. It became a family affair when Steve started the next year in the Ticket and Admissions office. For several years Dad was kind of the “odd man out” as all summer conversation in the Douglas house was racetrack related.

Dad’s banking career frequently took him out on the road for several weeks at a time. Mom was so supportive of him and constantly reminded us that no matter how much we missed him he missed us more. She would say “the three of us are together but your dad is out on the road having dinner by himself tonight.”

When Ak-Sar-Ben closed mom continued working at Horsemen’s Park until she “retired” at the age of 92. She was known to have said “I only sell winning tickets”. She made many friends, both coworkers and repeat customers who came to her window.

While Dad was at Omaha National Bank, they were able to take many memorable banking trips. Mom commented many times how fortunate she was to travel and visit so many wonderful cities. Dad was so complimentary of her because many of these trips were conferences hosted by the bank. He said she was remarkable while helping him welcome attendees. She would extend her hand for a handshake and make the other person immediately feel comfortable.

In the late ’60s Dad and Mom started taking yearly February trips to Las Vegas to meet her sister and brother-in-law, Sarah and Frank. In preparation for these yearly treks mom decided to make her own dice table. It was made of foldable cardboard that could be stored away from year to year. She meticulously made the replica…all odds, points, etc. in red and black magic marker. Around the end of January each year the dice table would take its place on our living room floor. Instead of bedtime stories her children would sit and roll dice so she could practice prior to her trip.

Mom was in a pinochle club with her sister, Angie, and some of their childhood girlfriends. Each October they and their spouses would travel to Vegas. When all the children of the group started turning twenty-one we would join our parents and make it a family affair. Extended family members would also travel to join us. What great memories of “the hospitality room” where we would all gather. There was also the awaited Saturday night march down to the casino so the group could “take over” the dice table. These annual trips eventually led to several subsequent Buono Family reunions in Lake Tahoe.

Dad and Mom joined Happy Hollow Club in 1963 and she took up the game of golf. She joined the 18 Hole Ladies group and played two to three times a times a week. Their love for the game, and their desire to get away from Nebraska winters, factored into their decision to take yearly trips to Palm Springs. Many of their friends from the Club were there, which made it more enjoyable. On their road trip to the desert, they always made a stop in Scottsdale to spend time with her brother Joe, sister-in- law, Marilyn and their family.

After Fred passed away in 2010 Lou continued to reside at the home they had lived in for forty plus years. She moved to Heritage at Sterling Ridge in February 2021 where she resided until her passing on May 14, 2023. We are so grateful to the staff and residents of the facility as mom felt so accepted and cared for.

Mom forever enjoyed and appreciated springtime, being outdoors and listening to the singing of the birds. If you are so inclined, please feel free to plant a tree, somewhere, sometime, in Lou’s honor. We are blessed to have had these wonderful years with our mom. We honor her gentle, humble, unselfish, and faith-filled life.

And…we love her a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!