Jon Ralph Van Wagenen
In Loving Memory of
Jon Ralph Van Wagenen
– Since he was such a book worm,
his family thought his obituary
should be written as one –
A First Edition – 1-19-2026
Chapter One – Beginnings
- Born on February 10, 1948 in Omaha, Nebraska.
- Welcomed by parents, John & Shirley Van Wagenen.
- Became a big brother to Richard Van Wagenen three years later.
- Van Wagenen Family expanded with K9, Kelly, the Basset Hound.
- On 7/19/1992, he gave up bachelor life to marry Barbara Menzel at Frasinetti Winery, officiated by Bill Bibb, Baptist Minister.
- Barb insists she was never legally married to Duke since Bill referred to her as Barbara Mandrell throughout the ceremony.
- If that wasn’t crazy enough, some pranksters (you know who you are) substituted can pop tops for the ring ceremony.
- Stepdaughters, Tressa and Kate Humbert served as flower girls.
- Family size increased with many terriers. The most recent is an 8 lb. rescue, named Starry.
Chapter Two – What’s In A Name
Tagged with many monikers:
- Duke named after movie star John Wayne (his father was a friend of Wayne)
- JR (Compliments of Tressa and Aaron Huber)
- Jon Ralph (Source – Katerine Humbert)
- Captain Van Wagenen (USAF)
- Opa (German for Grandpa used by step grandchildren Max & Emma Lien)
Chapter Three – School Days
- Elementary School, Omaha
- North High School, Omaha
- University of Nebraska (UNO), B. S. in Business Administration
- Pilot Training, US Air Force, Texas
Chapter Four – Oh, the Places You Went
- Omaha, Des Moines, & Cincinnati (Family Residences)
- Served as:
- Weapons Controller, Fort Lee AFS, Virginia
- Operations Officer, Alaskan Command, Cape Newenham AFS, Alaska
- Radar Inputs Countermeasures Officer, Luke AFB, Arizona
- Weapons Controller Instructor, Lockheed Aircraft Co. International, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia)
- Employed in San Francisco (Reliance Surety), Sacramento (Point West Bank), Portland (Ohio Casualty), Seattle (Liberty Mutual).
- Baseball Stadiums (LA, Boston, Kansas City, Seattle…) He quoted numerous statistics about players & teams. He collected hundreds of baseball cards. He loved the Dodgers & painted his childhood bedroom Dodger Blue.
- World Traveler – Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Holland, & Switzerland.
Chapter Five – Let’s Get Together
- Enjoyed reunions with:
- North High School Classmates
- Nickerson (cousins Jim & Dave) & Nugent Families among them
- Point West Bank staff
- Lockheed Group, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia: Dwight Menard, Ken Ray, Bill Solyan, Darl Stevenson, Skip Sweeney, & Roger Voegele. Deceased: Bill Frazier, Boyd Simms, Bob Swartz & Ken Wilson.
- Loved to go cruising in his 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
- Enjoyed doubles tennis matches in the Arizona heat.
- Spent winters skiing with friends Skip & Regina in Switzerland.
- Took multiple opportunities to share his favorite lemon loaf pastry at Starbucks with step grandchildren, Max & Emma.
- Dined with Saudi locals to savor animal eyeballs at a royal feast.
- Searched for first editions & read all types of literature (autobiographies, biographies, mysteries, poetry, & more.
- He loved the humor of Yogi Berra (“If you don’t know where’re you’re going, when you get there you’ll be lost.”) & George Carlin’s Al Sleet, Hippy Dippy Weatherman (“Weather tonight: dark. Turning partly light by morning.”).
- His book collection filled over 20 boxes.
Chapter Six – Sounds of Music
- Enjoyed Big Band (Glen Miller), Jazz (Dizzy Gillespie), Rock & Roll (The Beatles & Bee Gees), Country Western (Willie Nelson), Tex Mex (Texas Tornadoes), & Folk (Simon & Garfunkel).
- Master of Name that Tune for hundreds of songs, including the artist(s), their instruments, & lyrics.
- Played the clarinet (Recognized with a signed photo of Benny Goodman).
Chapter Seven – Endings
- Even though his last weeks were very difficult, thank you to his friends & family who made that time special with calls sharing stories & sending photos.
- His Celebration of Life will be held June 19th @ 10 AM at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 7909 Mormon Bridge Road, Omaha, NE 68152, 402-451-1000. Contact Tony Gum (402-660-2068) or Rich Van Wagenen (402) 916-0144 for more info.
- Please enter your favorite memories of Duke in the Obituaries Section of the online memorial at https://bartonfuneral.com/. There is no end date for the site.
Epilogue – Memorials
- More photos are posted on Duke’s Facebook page.
- Enjoy one last toast to our departed family member & friend by clicking the play button on the “The Parting Glass” video below.
6 Responses to “Jon Ralph Van Wagenen”
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I first met Duke in junior high and we became friends.It developed into a friendship that stood the test of time.We attended UNO together and he was best man at our wedding, and Godfather to our oldest son. Duke cared deeply about his family and friends.He never let a birthday or anniversary be missed. I will miss his witt and loved sharing a laugh with him.
My deepest sympathies to Barb, Tressa, Kate, Max and Emma
Duke has been part of the tapestry of my life for 50 years, since I was about 12 years old. He was very good friends with my father, whom he met through the Air Force, and Duke was the first person I ever knew who had actually been to the mystical place called Saudi Arabia. When I was a kid living in San Francisco, Duke found himself in charge of my brother and me for a whole weekend while my parents were out of town and years later he would regale me with stories of the fun we had on that visit! From the Bay Area all along the coast to Portland, Duke would pop in and out of our lives over the decades, dropping in for a weekend stay or just an overnight visit. He and my father remained the kind of good friends you care for always and think about often but never see, and after my father moved across the country, Duke and I became very good friends. We didn’t get to see each other often, but whenever he came down to Portland for business, we made a point to get together. And in the meantime, we stayed in touch with lengthy emails–I am so very grateful to have kept most of our exchanges! I could always count on Duke to remind me of fun encounters during my childhood and then pivot to talking about life as adults, and the depth of our connection through the years never failed to warm my heart. From the time I first met Duke, I’ve known him to be nothing but a truly kind soul, always so gregarious and genuine in his enthusiasm to maintain his friendships and do his best for the people he cared about. My family was lucky to have him as a “family friend” for so many years, and I was truly blessed to have him as my dear friend in our later years. I will miss him terribly. Rest now, dear friend.
Duke’s fellow veterans of the United States Air Force mourn the loss of our departed comrade. We were honored to know him and to serve with him. We thank him for his service to our country and offer our sincere condolences to his family and many friends.
Duke lived the core values of the Air Force:
-Integrity First
-Service Before Self
-Excellence in All We Do
A Light That Still Lingers
From the time you were born, you stood out—not in a loud or attention-seeking way, but in the quiet, magnetic way that draws people in. You had a lightness about you, a joy that seemed to live just beneath your skin. Being your cousin meant having a front-row seat to your stories, and the unmistakable warmth you brought into every room.
As we grew older, life scattered us into different rhythms, yet our bond never wavered. Whenever we reconnected, it was like no time had passed. Conversations flowed easily, and your sense of humor — a perfect mix of sharp wit and warmth — made even the most ordinary catch-up feel special. You had a knack for making people feel at ease. You didn’t need to dominate the room — just your presence was enough to make it feel lighter, kinder, more alive.
But as we got older, it wasn’t just the laughter that stayed with me—it was your spirit. You were generous without thinking twice. You had time for people, truly saw them, and always made space for those who needed it most. You didn’t measure life by accomplishments or possessions. You measured it by how well you loved and how honestly you lived. You didn’t chase perfection—you embraced humanity, in all its messy, beautiful complexity.
You also had a quiet strength. Even when life handed you more than your share of hardship, you held your ground. You didn’t pretend things were perfect, but you never lost sight of hope. That resilience, that ability to keep going with grace and humor, is something I’ll carry with me always. You found meaning in moments others might overlook, and your perspective made us all better.
The world feels quieter without you, but my memories of you are vivid and alive. And when I think of you, I feel a mix of ache and gratitude—ache for what’s lost, and gratitude for what we had.
You were more than a cousin—you were a spark, a safe place, a lifelong friend. And though you’re gone, the light you brought into this world lingers in all of us who loved you. I hope you knew how deeply you mattered.
You may be gone, but your presence still lingers — in the best of ways.
knew Jon Ralph Van Wagenen, since the day I was born and will miss my brother .
Jon was my brother, we shared our lives together, multiple trips, best was Europe 1976. I will forever miss my brother Jon Ralph Van Wagenen