Stanley Robert Lemke

Stanley Robert Lemke of Lake Worth, Florida, via Battle Creek, Nebraska, left his friends and family with cherished times shared and rich memories on July 25, 2023.  He was 73 years old. Wonderful portions of his life were shared by Joan (Praeuner) Stolle, Kari Hamilton, & Kay Borgelt.  He is survived by his daughter and family (Kristin, David, & Dagny Duitsman) of Boca Raton, Florida; son and family (Steven, Shannon, Quinn, & Ryan Lemke) of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania; aunt Jean Lemke of Ralston, Nebraska; brother Gary Lemke of Osmond, Nebraska; and treasured nieces and nephews.  His grandchildren were his eternal joy. 

Stan was born to Roy and Lucille Lemke in West Point, Nebraska on January 28, 1950.  As a young family, they moved to farm land outside of Battle Creek, and Stan graduated high school as a proud Battle Creek Brave in 1968.  He was a talented multi-sport athlete with a strong affinity for football and his revered Coach Schnitzler.  He went on to receive a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an MS in Civil and Sanitary Engineering from UN-L, and an MS-Level Executive Certificate in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University.  He maintained his Professional Engineer Licensure in three states (Nebraska, Illinois, and Florida) throughout his career and was a co-founder of Gulf Atlantic Engineering, LLC.  Professionally, he was most proud of his career in public works and civil service.  In his public sector roles across his working life, he took very seriously his opportunity to foster the betterment of the experiences of his fellow citizens.  Two of his favorite professional moments occurred in Daytona Beach, Florida.  He conceptualized and developed an innovative municipal bottled water facility for the City of Daytona Beach:  “The World’s Most Famous Water” from the world’s most famous beach!  Most notedly, however, he was the Professional Engineer leading the design and build of the Dale Earnhardt Bridge, the pedestrian highway overpass accessing Daytona International Speedway.  His true professional satisfaction, though, came not from the crown jewel accomplishments, but from the day-to-day interactions with his crews and the citizens he served.  From helping fight encroaching wildfires, to donning boots and joining his water treatment crews in their tasks, to helping clear pigeons from a municipal building, he was enthusiastically present. 

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Stan had a rich personal life replete with enduring friendships and eclectic diversions. There was not a life’s moment that he could not relate to a Far Side cartoon or a Statler Brothers song.  He had delved into winemaking, which yielded some quite impressive results.  He completed multiple marathons and was ever certain that the perfect race was forthcoming.  Stan was also the writer of two songs (that we know of!). 

In the last issue of NebraskaLife Magazine that Stan would have read (July/August 2023), there was an article about the centennial celebration of Memorial Stadium, home to his beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Always looking at life through the lens of the civil engineer, Stan was adamant that you do not “pour concrete,” you “lay” it.   The NebraskaLife article relays a “quote from 19th-century British writer John Ruskin, describing the enduring power of architecture: 

‘Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them…’ ”

It would not have been lost on Stan the reference of “laying” stone on stone:  a deliberate action.  It is not lost on those friends and family who remember Stan and the “enduring power of architecture” that stands for us all in his absence.  A friend, a confidant, a tireless cheerleader, Pops.  The stones laid to pave our meandering shared path are held sacred because his hands have touched them. 

When visiting friends or family, and it was time to call it a day, Stan would famously misquote Tooter Turtle, of cartoon lore.  When Tooter Turtle was ready to head home he would say “Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome, time for this one to come home.”  Stan would remember this incantation as “Twizzle, Twazzle, Twozzle, Twome, time for this one to go home.”  Pretty close.  Twizzle Twazzle, Pops. 

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