Pastor Al Trucano

Alvin Eli Trucano was born November 1, 1936 in Des Moines, Iowa to Pastor Peter D. and Gladys Opal (Jennings) Trucano. He has one brother, one year and 1 day younger, Vernon John (Margaret) Trucano of Ottumwa, Iowa. He passed away at home in his favorite recliner on March 9, 2019 at 82 years of age.

All his life Pastor Al was in ministry, growing up in Parsonages most all of his life. He became a Born-Again Christian at the age of 9 and was baptized by Immersion at the age of 13 in Harlan, Iowa. He was called into Ministry at Pisgah, Iowa, while still a Senior in High School in 1954. During the course of his ministry he served his Lord faithfully for 65 years and at 22 Churches.

He graduated from Pisgah High School and received his B.A. Degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa in 1958. He was married to Sharon Kaye Deines that same year in Culbertson, NE. and to this union were born two children, Bonnie June and Marlin Gene.

He served three student churches in Kentucky while attending Asbury School of Theology in Wilmore, Kentucky. Moving to Nebraska, he attended and graduated from St. Paul's School of Theology with a Master of Divinity degree in 1968.

Pastor Al served numerous Churches in Nebraska and retired from the Nebraska Annual Conference after serving United Methodist Churches faithfully for over 50 years. He married Marjorie Jean (Lyon) Forster on May 29, 1989. Upon retirement in 1999, Pastor Al moved with his wife, Jean, to Rushville, Nebraska and served two additional Churches on an interim basis. These were Extension Community Chapel, near White Clay, Nebraska, and The Church of God in Gordon, Nebraska. He served one year interim at Gordon and then he and Jean moved to the Church of God Parsonage and accepted a Call to serve the Church of God as their full time Pastor. He received a dual ordination with the Church of God in 2010, subsequently retiring for a second time one year afterward.

During his ‘retirement’ (which he flunked both times he tried) he officiated at a multitude of funerals, and was seen almost daily riding his bike around Rushville to visit friends and shut-ins. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren and one of the hobbies he enjoyed most was spending time fishing at Oahe Dam, in SD, with his brother and sister in law, Dennis and Annette Lyon. He and Jean traveled to all 50 States, plus the Bahamas, Cozumel, Jamaica, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands.

He was currently on the Board of Parkview Lodge, and was serving as President of the Rushville Senior Center.  He was an EMT for 16 years serving the squads in Hay Springs, Humboldt, Red Cloud and Rushville, Nebraska.  He also served 7 years as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Jim Talbot. He went to the jail once a week to give a Bible study to the inmates, and he held a Bible study at Parkview Lodge on Mondays.  He wrote weekly devotionals for 20 newspapers in 4 states, and was published twice in the Upper Room Devotional booklet that reaches around the world.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife Jean, his two children Bonnie June (Denver) Hartwell of Amherst, NE. Marlin Gene Trucano of Odessa, NE. and one step son, James Leroy (Tiffany) Forster of Box Elder, SD. Also one Brother Vernon John (Margaret) Trucano of Ottumwa, Iowa, six grandchildren; Toby Johnson, Sheena (Jeremy)Morris, Garrick Antillon, Danny (Aide)Harms, Angel Denner and Zachary Ward Forster and 8 great grandchildren; Trace, Macey and Carter Johnson, Owen and Sienna Morris, and Ethan Sohrweid, Rachel and Daisy Harms, his sisters-in-law Phyllis Long, and Shirley (Dave) Wingert, brothers-in-law Jerry (Anne) Lyon and Dennis (Annette) Lyon, numerous nieces and nephews, a host of friends, former parishioners and brothers and sisters in Christ.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Rev. Peter and Gladys Trucano, his father and mother-in law, Harvey and Norma Lyon, his brother-in-law David Lyon, sister-in-law, Connie Lyon, nieces Lynnette ­­­­­­­Nelson and Norma Orr, and a nephew Tim Arnold.

A memorial has been established for the Morse Memorial Methodist Church in Rushville for a video and sound system and donations may be sent to Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home, PO Box 366, Gordon, NE 69343.

Visitation service will be on Friday, March 15, 7:00 PM at Morse Memorial Methodist Church in Rushville, NE, and the funeral will be held Saturday March 16, 2019, 2:00 PM at the Hay Springs United Methodist Church with Pastor Paul Smith officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, Rushville, Nebraska, with Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.