Adelene J. LUKE

1928 - 2016

LUKE, Adelene J.
June 6, 1928 ~ November 22, 2016

Adelene J. Luke, 88, passed away November 22, after complications following a heart attack in April.
Adelene was born June 6, 1928, in Staples, Minnesota, to George and Essie (Dobbs) Skinner. She was the youngest of eight children. She graduated from Staples High School and attended the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities for three years.
Her first employment was with Northland Greyhound Lines in Minneapolis and she became a travel agent at the Greyhound Travel Bureau at the bus terminal in Minneapolis.
Adelene's was a loving, joyful, friendly, gracious, and generous person. Her positive outlook was outstanding and recognized by many.
In late 1952, she met William A. "Bill" Luke, an employee with Jefferson Transportation Company, a Minneapolis-based bus company. Adelene and Bill found they were a perfect match and, after a short courtship, were married in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights, on September 19, 1953. They recently celebrated their 63rd anniversary.
Because both Adelene and Bill liked to travel they drove to the West on their honeymoon, visiting Glacier, Banff and Jasper national parks. Once Adelene saw the mountains and beautiful western scenery, she was determined to some day live in the West.
Sharing an interest in buses, in 1964 Bill and Adelene began presenting seminars to the bus industry on maintenance, safety, and other subjects. At the peak of the program there were 10 seminars a year, throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. Canadian sites were also scheduled. A year later they began publishing a bus industry trade journal, Bus Ride .
Adelene's desire to live in the West was fulfilled in 1969, when she and Bill moved to Spokane. Adelene was working full time for their business, while Bill worked part time in addition to his full-time position at Empire Lines, a Spokane bus company. By 1973 the publishing and seminar business had grown to the point that they both needed to devote full time to the business. It was incorporated as Friendship Publications, Inc.
Adelene was named the corporate president. Ahead of her time, she suggested that certain issues of Bus Ride feature special articles about women, as more women were becoming important leaders in the bus industry. Adelene always wrote the main editorial in those issues. As the company prospered, Adelene also suggested starting a scholarship program for men and women wishing to further their education toward careers in the bus industry. That program was established in 1978.
Adelene loved to travel. Beginning in the early years of their marriage they attended meetings and visited bus companies that were then featured in Bus Ride articles. Another favorite activity was camping, including trips with the Girl Scout troop she led. Gooseberry Falls State Park on the shores of Lake Superior north of Duluth, Minnesota, was a favorite camping trip. They also enjoyed visiting and camping in many national parks. Over the years, Adelene visited 20 national parks in the United States and 10 in Canada. She visited all the provinces in Canada, almost all of the states in the U.S., and nearly 50 countries throughout the world. She enjoyed the scenery, learning about the culture, and especially meeting the people, making many lifelong friends. On their 25th wedding anniversary, they enjoyed a special trip including stops in Africa and Brazil.
Adelene was a wonderful host, welcoming visitors to their home in Minneapolis and later in Spokane. Among their special guests were many people from the bus industry and friends from around the world. They welcomed visitors from more than 10 countries, and some stayed for several days at the Luke's home. Many of their guests have kept in touch for years.
An important event for Adelene and Bill was the 25th anniversary of Bus Ride . They celebrated the occasion with a banquet in Spokane attended by 100 guests, including some from overseas. Keynote Speaker for the evening was Bill's good friend Jim Lehrer, a bus enthusiast and at the time host on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. The event was a highlight of Adelene and Bill's achievements.
In addition to traveling and being a good host, Adelene's lifetime pleasures included gardening, sewing, embroidery, and caring for her home. Another important part of her life was her pets, including four beagles, a corgi, and a part-time cat.
Adelene was a member of the Unity Center of North Spokane as well as several other Unity churches in Minneapolis and elsewhere. Managing the church library, caring for younger children during services, making choir robes, and helping produce bulletins were just part of the activities she enjoyed at the church.
Adelene is survived by two sisters, Merle Skinner of Minneapolis and Darlene Sadusky of Madison, Wisconsin; along with several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, Jack, Gene, Norman, and Robert, and sister, Dorothy.
Adelene requested that there be no memorial service. Those wishing to make a gift in her memory could consider the Unity Center of North Spokane, Hospice House of North Spokane, or any charity of their choice.