Robert J. Dunn Jr. May 4, 1919 - January 22, 2012
Robert “RJ” Joseph Dunn, a longtime Kearney resident and Air Force veteran who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, died January 22, 2012; he was 92.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at the St. James Catholic Church in Kearney with Fr. Joe Hannappel officiating. Burial will be at the Kearney Cemetery. Military rites at the cemetery will be provided by the Kearney American Legion Post #52, Kearney V.F.W. Post #759, and the Offutt Air Force Base Honor Guard. A wake service will be Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. at the Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services in Kearney. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to Kearney Catholic High School Foundation or the St. James Catholic Church. A message of condolence, tribute or memory can be left at www.hlmkfuneral.com . Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services of Kearney are in charge of arrangements.
RJ was born May 4, 1919 to Hannah and Robert Dunn in Toddville, Maryland, near Baltimore. His mother was from County Kerrey, Ireland and was the aunt of Maureen O’Sullivan the Actress. His parents lived next to Patton and Eisenhower. He moved to Ft. Lewis near Tacoma WA in 1922. He went to high school at Bellarmine, a Jesuit boys’ school in Tacoma, WA, and excelled at both math and science. Robert graduated from there in 1935 when he also won the Eagle Scout Award
Robert enlisted in the army in 1937 as a private and retired in 1960 as a Lt. Colonel. In 1941 He survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and during his career earned these awards: Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Silver Star. During 1942 he flew reconnaissance missions out of Australia and made 2nd Lieutenant in 1943.
In 1943, while stationed at the base in Kearney, Ne, he met the love of his life, “Nicky” (Marcella Nickman). On April 15, 1944 they married.
Over the next 16 years they had four children: Greg, Roberta, Anne, and Lisa, and lived everywhere from a converted garage in Salina, Kansas to military housing in Morocco. When RJ retired from the Air Force in 1960, the family moved to Kearney to be closer to Nicky’s family in Pleasanton. After attending Kearney State College via the GI bill, RJ graduated summa cum laude in 1964 and got his master’s degree in 1968.
RJ was part of Kearney Catholic High School (KCHS) from the bricks up. He started there as a science teacher in 1962 and taught a growing number of classes as the school added more courses. He also taught his children, all of whom graduated from both KCHS as well as KSC (now UNK). From 1962 to 1986, RJ taught physics and chemistry students as well as those interested in industrial arts. After 24 years of teaching, it was rare for him not to run into an old student while out and about in Kearney. In June of last year at the 50th KCHS celebration, RJ was pleased and honored to become the first honorary KCHS alumnus.
RJ was active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion for many years, and was a proud member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association on both the state and national level. He ran the net control of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Net from 1980 until his death. He believed strongly in giving back so he spent untold hours helping the Knights of Columbus and fixing things at the school (KCHS).
Robert is survived by his sister Sr. Joan Dunn of Seattle; children Greg (Susan) Dunn of Sioux Falls, SD; Roberta Slaughter of Kearney; Anne Schmit of North Platte; and Lisa (Dave) Stewart of Kansas City; grandchildren Micheal Dunn of Seattle; Christopher Dunn of Seattle; Alison (Ryan) Beieler of Seattle; Dan (Renae) Slaughter of Dallas; Brad (Katie) Slaughter of Lincoln Ne; Timaree Schmit and Carl Boccuti of Philadelphia; and great grandson Matthew Beieler of Seattle. He was preceded in death by his wife Marcella; his sisters Mary, Margaret, and Rita; his brother John, and his son-in-law Mark Slaughter.
