The Reverend Roland Jank met his Lord and Savior on January 27, 2021, in Omaha, NE at the age of 100 years. Services will be held at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Omaha, NE (7301 North 28th Avenue) on Tuesday, February 2, at 10:30 AM. Visitation will precede the service at 9:30. Burial will be in the Kearney Cemetery in Kearney, NE at 3:30 PM on Tuesday as well. Memorials can be directed to Lutheran Hour Ministries, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, or Mount Olive, Omaha. Condolences may be sent to Rev. Roland A. Jank, Jr., 3319 North 130th Circle Omaha, NE 68164-4224.
Roland Jank was born 7-14-1920, in the parsonage in Canby, Minnesota to The Rev. Paul and Helen Jank. A third- generation pastor, he left home at age 14 to begin his pre-theological training at Concordia High School and Junior College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his theological training at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri during WW II, graduating in 1945. He served his vicarage at Trinity Lutheran, Navasota, TX.
Pastor Jank was ordained and installed in July, 1945, at Immanuel Lutheran in rural Amherst, Nebraska. He served Immanuel and later Grace Lutheran in Sumner for eleven years. For several of those years, he taught parochial school in a one-room school-house. He served for 15 years at Peace, Hastings, NE; seven years at Trinity, Guttenberg, Iowa, and St. Paul, McGregor, Iowa. From 1978 – 1994, he served at Immanuel, Columbus, NE as Assistant Pastor. From 1994 – 2004, his role changed to Visitation Pastor for his remaining years in Columbus. During those ten years, he officiated at 300 funerals. After retiring and moving to Immanuel Village in Omaha in 2004, he continued to serve the church making hospital calls on Mt. Olive parishioners at Immanuel Hospital for many years. He was faithful in the worship life and Bible Study opportunities at Mt. Olive where his son, Roland, served as pastor and considered it a great joy to have his son as his pastor.
Pastor Jank served the church at large in the Southern Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as: Member of the Town-Country committee; Editor of the District Supplement of the LUTHERAN WITNESS (1956-1966); District Public Relations Chairman (1958 – 1970); on the Circuit level he served as Walther League Christian Growth Chairman and Pastoral Counselor, LWML Pastoral Counselor and Hastings Circuit Counselor. In the NE District of the LC-MS, Pastor Jank was Secretary of the District Centennial Steering Committee, Secretary of the District Constitution and Handbook Committee, and Secretary of the Nebraska District and Nebraska District Board of Directors (1982-1985). In the Iowa East District of the LC-MS, he was LWML Circuit Pastoral Counselor and Dubuque Circuit Counselor. He was honored by the NE District in 2015 for having the longest tenure in the District – 70 years.
During his years in Amherst, he met and married his wife, Norma Buehler, on August 4, 1946. They were blessed with three sons: Roland, Jr., Michael, and Joel. Roland and Norma were married 51 years before her death in 1997. After Roland’s move to Immanuel Village, he served as a volunteer proof reader and librarian for the Village. He enjoyed playing ping pong and bean bags and often held the title of Bean Bag Champion. He regularly met with other Village residents for a night of joke telling.
Pastor Jank will be remembered by many for his incredible memory for names, his quick smile, and always for the jokes he had ready to tell. He supported his three sons in their musical and ministry pursuits throughout their lives and his grandchildren with monetary contributions to their college educations. He often said his first and last congregations were named Immanuel and his last home was Immanuel Village which means “God with us”. He lived his life knowing God was with him always as a saved child of God and often witnessed to his family, friends and complete strangers about how much God loved them.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Norma; sisters, Lois Kroenke and Paula Jank, and brother-in-law, Robert Kroenke.
He is survived by his sons: The Rev. Roland (Suzan) Jank; Michael (Jill) Jank; Joel (Ellen) Jank; eight grandchildren: Nathan (Jamie) Jank ; Rachel (Jeff) Misiolek; Sarah (Josh) Callahan; Ryan Jank; Aaron (Kathleen) Jank; Jeremy Jank, Julie (Ramez) Habash, Jonathan (Rachel) Jank; twelve great-grandchildren: Adela, Klara and Lillia Jank; Evelyn, Eleanor and Everett Misiolek, Stella Callahan; Zade, Leena, Jad and Layla Habash; Phillip and Theo Jank; brother, Rev. Orville (Arlene) Jank and sister, Mary Dawson; four nieces and nephews; and many friends in his former congregations and communities.
Roeder Mortuary, Inc. – 108th Street Chapel
2727 N 108th St – Omaha, NE – 402-496-9000
www.RoederMortuary.com
4/26/1920 – 1/25/2021
11/27/1931 – 1/25/2021
3/15/1934 – 1/26/2021
