Veronica Louise Kauk, 79, passed peacefully March 30, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Veronica was born in the small Nebraska town of Columbus on May 4, 1945 to Harold Bausch and Lillian (Fendrich) Bausch. Veronica (Ronnie) grew up with her four siblings, Janice, Phillip, Christina and Deanna in Leigh, Nebraska. Harold was a square dance caller, so Ronnie and her siblings grew up traveling and dancing. Ronnie attended Leigh High School in Leigh, Nebraska, where she sang in the Madrigal Choir.
Ronnie attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and was voted as Sweetheart for the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. She had a blind date with Doyle Kauk set up by a girlfriend of one of the Fraternity members. Doyle and Ronnie would share different impressions about that first date which was on Friday the 13th of March, 1963. However, many dates and conversations later they became pinned in the fall of 1964 and married on June 24th, 1966, in Leigh, Nebraska at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Doyle and Ronnie moved to California in 1966 where Doyle taught at Pomona State Polytechnic College in the Los Angeles area and Ronnie worked in a typing pool. Zachary was born at the Kaiser Foundation hospital in Fontana on April 6th, 1967, and Liza followed on April 4th, 1968. The family returned to the Midwest in 1968 where Kim was born on July 20th, 1969, in Lexington, Nebraska, and shortly thereafter the family relocated to Hoxie, Kansas where Doyle would manage the Hoxie Feedlot.
After Doyle’s passing in December of 2021, Ronnie felt pulled to return to her college stomping grounds of Lincoln, Nebraska and she closed the Hoxie chapter of 55 years and moved back to Cornhusker territory. As anyone who knew Ronnie knows, she jumped right into many organizations and activities and quickly made many new friends.
Ronnie’s life was full as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She also kept busy with many jobs ranging from helping at the feedlot, commodities broker, bookkeeping for the local Co-op and dental office, to working in the Sheridan County Treasurer’s office. She committed fully and with passion in all of her ventures including choir, local theatre, dancing, and volunteering as a CASA for the court system and the Sheridan County Hospital board. Her love of oriental pottery, wooden toys, buttons, and all things antique was obvious upon entering her home. Her many collections were beautiful and expansive. There probably isn’t an antique shop between the East and West coast that Ronnie hasn’t visited.
Ronnie is survived by her three children, Zachary (Katherine), Liza Blanc, and Kimberly (Pat) Brown. Grandchildren Cole, Jacob, and Karly Kauk; Kali Riley (Trenton), Jordan (Jessica), Cassandra (Nikita), Alisha, and Angelina Blanc; Samantha (Austin), Bethany, and Carter Brown. Great-Grandchildren Ember, Stella, and Cyrus Blanc; Meredith and Lillian Riley. Siblings Janice Recek (Curtis), Phillip Bausch (Jeannette), and Deanna Bausch.
Ronnie is preceded in death by her parents Harold and Lillian, spouse Doyle, and grand-daughter Geena.
Visitation is Sunday April 6th at Mickey Leopold Funeral Home in Hoxie, Kansas at 2:00-7:00 pm, Family will be available during visitation 5:30-7:00 pm. Funeral services will be at 10:30 am on Monday, April 7th, 2025, at St. Francis Cabrina Catholic Church in Hoxie, Kansas with graveside services to follow.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to the Doyle Kauk Memorial Scholarship fund at www.doylekaukmemorialscholarship.org.