Stanley E Vala Jr

Stanley E. Vala, Jr., age 68, of Elkhorn, NE formerly of North Bend and Lincoln, NE, passed away on January 1, 2023 at Josie Harper Hospice house in Omaha, NE. The Lord, family and many friends and neighbors supported him and Nancy through their 4 years journey fighting Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The latest in care, clinical trials, and treatments such as stem cell transplant, CAR-T Cell and other immunological agents were provided by the UNMC Lymphoma Care Team. Stan was born on January 4, 1955 in South Omaha to Stanley E. Vala, Sr. and Bernice (Grow) Vala. His family moved numerous times during his early childhood. He and his parents and sister moved to North Bend, NE during his 6th grade year. He met his future wife, Nancy, while playing saxophone in the North Bend Central Band. Due to the encouragement of Nancy and her parents, Ray and Phebe Rehbein, Stan continued his education attending both University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Omaha. He and Nancy were married August 14, 1976 prior to his graduation from UNO in December 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Business Management. He was recruited by several retail chain stores and chose to work for JCPenney. His first management assignment was at the Westroads store in Omaha. He and Nancy accepted a promotion/transfer to Kearney, NE in 1978. Their son Justin was born in Kearney in 1981. In 1986, Stan was transferred/promoted to Lincoln, NE. He managed departments in the downtown Lincoln store, the original Gateway store, and was instrumental in opening the present Gateway store. Wanting to manage his own store, Stan left Penney’s in 1992 to manage the Nebraska Bookstore in downtown Lincoln. This store was the largest Husker apparel outlet in the state and the position was especially challenging but also exciting during the National Championship years. He later changed positions and became a buyer for multiple college bookstores for Nebraska Book Company, parent company of Nebraska Bookstore. Stan then worked for a few years for the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services before retiring from full-time employment. Stan thoroughly enjoyed his post-retirement career as a driver, and then document scanner for Sid Dillon Nissan Buick Hyundai. This position allowed him to be around new cars – his passion. He thoroughly enjoyed the ‘new car smell’. Even during the first stages of his illness, he was able to at least wander through the showroom on the way to the scanning office. When he was unable to continue to go into the office because of COVID, the dealership moved the scanner to the house and delivered the documents for scanning. At least he was able to stay connected to the business and the cars. In addition to his passion for new cars and some old cars, Stan loved attending the grandkids’ activities. He developed a love of growing plants after spending a number of summers working on the Rehbein farm. He learned to identify a variety of weeds and also received on-the-job training in using oil-red barn paint. He also was an avid Husker football fan after attending most of the games as a student. In recent years, he also enjoyed attending and watching Husker volleyball. Stan is survived by his wife of 46 years, Nancy (Rehbein) Vala, son Justin (Karamie) and grandchildren Kendall and Owen, all of Elkhorn, NE; sister Nancy (Larry) Frank, sister-in-law Karen Dorian, brothers-in-law: Dave (Ann) Rehbein and Randy (Loretta) Rehbein; Uncle Marvin (Gayle) Vala and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley Sr., and Bernice Vala and cherished in-laws Raymond and Phebe Rehbein. A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 PM Friday, January 6 at Reichmuth Funeral Home in Elkhorn, NE. Family will be receiving friends from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM before the service. Memorials may be sent to Josie Harper Hospice House, 7415 Cedar St., Omaha, NE 68124 Special thanks to neighbors in Lincoln and Elkhorn for their help around the house and yard, as well as with surprise gifts and treats throughout Stan’s illness.

Stanley E Vala Jr

January 4, 1955 - January 1, 2023