Lawrence (Larry) Pientka was born a twin in Tecumseh, Nebraska on July 5, 1929. He was raised on his beloved farm in Johnson County attending school in Tecumseh. Upon high school graduation he attended Peru State University for two years. He was drafted into the United States Army, November 5, 1951, during the Korean Conflict. He was sent to Japan to serve his duty and was discharged in October, 1953. Upon discharge he returned to Nebraska where he attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for two years, graduating with a B.S. in business administration.
On March 2, 1957, he married his beloved wife of 66 years, Betty Jo Ullman, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Beatrice, Nebr. Upon his marriage to Betty, he inherited all her family members including many nephews and nieces and became Uncle Larry to all of them. His nephew Jerry Ullman reminisced “Uncle Larry was someone who was always ready to step up and help family out, whether it was building a new garage, putting in a new patio or helping someone move. His engaging nature made him someone we all enjoyed being around, and we’ll miss him dearly.”
Upon graduation from the university, Larry worked for approximately 14 years for Capitol Mutual Insurance Company and upon leaving Capitol Mutual he went to work for the Nebraska Department of Labor for 22 years until his retirement in 1993. Larry fell in love with traveling and after his retirement, he and Betty along with Betty’s brother and his wife made numerous trips to Europe including Poland, the country of his heritage. The highlight of one of their trips was a visit to the gravesite of his cousin who was killed in WWII and buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium.
Larry is survived by his wife, Betty, and again her many family members and his twin sister Lorene’s three daughters, LeeAnn Burianek, Carla Atkins and Paula Churchill. He is predeceased by his father and mother, Wallace and Genevieve Pientka, and his twin sister, Lorene Churchill.