Lucas Bear

Lucas Lyman Bear, age 46, of Merriman, Nebraska, passed away unexpectedly on September 10, 2026, leaving his family far too soon.

He was born on July 27, 1980, in Colby, Kansas to Lyman and Dorothy Bear. He was the oldest of his 3 siblings. Lucas grew up with a deep love for the outdoors, helping his father on the family farm in Brewster, Kansas. He was an active member of 4-H for 10 years and enjoyed Livestock Judging. He played the trumpet in his jr. high and high school’s pep band and was on the wrestling team. Lucas graduated from Brewster high school in 1998. He attended the Northwest Kansas Technical School in Goodland, Kansas and graduated in 2000 with an Engineering degree. He lived in Denver, Colorado for 6 months of that time working as an apprentice designing roads and bridges for the city. He was hired by Sunflower Manufacturing in Beloit, Kansas in 2000 working as a Mechanical Engineer designing tillage equipment for 8 years.

Lucas met the love of his life, Kendra Cobb in Beloit in 2002. They started dating a year later and were married on April 22, 2006. Lucas and Kendra moved to her father’s ranch by Merriman, Nebraska in 2008, where he worked with Wayne until 2022. Their lives were blessed in 2014, when their daughter Aliyah was born and joined their family. After Wayne passed away, Lucas ran the ranch with the help of Kendra’s nephew Billy, to the present. He was very passionate about working on the ranch and took great pride in his own herd of cattle that he built over the years. His experience as an engineer reflected the work that Lucas did. He fabricated parts and projects to make work easier for himself and others. Lucas loved helping people. He believed in the good neighbor policy, and he always made time for others if he could.

Lucas was a devoted husband and a proud father to their daughter Aliyah. He lived for his family. He looked forward to spending time with his girls when he came in from a hard day’s work. He was the bottle maker, tower builder, story reader and builder of his daughter’s sandbox and playset. His world centered entirely on the joy and care of his wife and daughter.

Lucas was very active in the community, serving on several boards and committees including: being an active Elder and Deacon for the First Presbyterian Church in Gordon, board member and active volunteer for the Merriman Rural Fire Department for 18 ½ years. He served on the NRPPD Board of Directors in Hay Springs since 2019 and was currently their secretary and also served as their Treasurer during his tenure. He served as a Director on the Tri-State Board of directors in Denver, CO since 2020.

Lucas was preceded in death by his 7 angel babies, his father-in-law, mother-in-law, his grandparents, one uncle and a cousin. He is survived by his wife, Kendra and his daughter Aliyah, both of Merriman, NE, his parents, Lyman and Dorothy Bear-Brewster, KS, his siblings, Mary (Chad) Lucas-Benkelman, NE, Quentin (Janet) Bear-Brewster, KS, Rose (Dustin) Kirby-Hoxie, Kansas, sisters-in-law, Kori (Tom) Hutchison-Surprise, AZ and Kim Bostock-Gordon, NE, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of life service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at the city park in Gordon, NE

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to an education fund set up for his daughter, Aliyah.