Verden Ray Valasek

1929 - 2025

Verden Ray, first child of Frank L. and Rose M. (Klima) Valasek, both first generation of Czech immigrants was born in Valley County (Ord) NE on October 30, 1929. He attended a one room country school, Ord and Grand Island schools and graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1947. After working as a lineman for Northwestern Bell in South Dakota, cable splicer in Nebraska and service in the U.S. Army (Korean War), Ray obtained his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1959.

Prior to going overseas in the Army he and Betty M. Kutschkau were married on July 15, 1951. Betty passed on July 24, 2021 after their 70th anniversary. Ray always said their only bad year was when he was in Korea.

Auto racing was a big part of their lives, but his work experience was somewhat varied. He worked for General Motors in Anderson, Indiana, one job being testing composites for the Corvette fiberglass near spring; Brunswick Defense Products Division in Lincoln, Nebraska as Project Engineer on projects for NASA, Atomic Energy Comission, U.S. Air Force, and others; two entrepreneurial firms; and Quality Control Manager at Cushman Motors in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Throughout the years Ray and Betty saw many races including 41 Indy 500s from 1959 to 2019. Ray also worked on pit crews for local racers.

After retirement, he co-authored a book with Bob Mays titled "Valley Country Thunder: The History of Racing at Ord, Nebraska", helped from the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame and was a docent at the Speedway Museum of American Speed.

Throughout those years Ray has worked at being a good Christian helping others. He is preceded in being with our Lord by his wife, parents, daughter Lori and brother, Arden. He is survived by a son, Jeffrey, four grandchildren, Joel, Jasmine, Julie and Jordan and seven great grandchildren. It was his wish to be cremated with final resting at the Phillips Cemetery near Phillips, Nebraska.

A memorial in Ray's honor is suggested to St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. Funeral processions are scheduled for Saturday, November 22nd, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 1015 Lancaster Ln, Lincoln, NE 68505.