James Lee Brox, 73, of Lincoln, passed away unexpectedly. Born Oct. 29, 1945, in Ord, Neb., to Almond R. and Greta M. (Wittsche) Brox. After moving to Lincoln in 1956, he attended Hartley Elementary, Culler Junior High, and Lincoln Northeast High Schools, graduating in 1964. He attended Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was married to Mary E. Klanecky on Dec. 2, 1967; they had three sons. A devoted and hard-working husband and father, Jim provided for Mary and the boys, and from him they learned the value of hard work, of honesty and integrity, of faithfulness to spouse and family. Jim began working at the Lincoln Journal Star’s circulation department during his high school years. In the late ‘60s, he took a position in the accounting department, where he continued until 1991. These skills later transitioned to work at UNL’s Student Union, where he served as accountant for more than 150 student organizations. He retired at the age of 72. For many years, Jim directed the Journal Star Employees Credit Union; coached Little Chiefs baseball and YMCA softball teams; played on fast-pitch softball teams; and enjoyed all Husker sports, especially women’s volleyball. A life-long and avid cribbage player, he was a member of the Lincoln Cribbage League. On his “golden” 29th birthday (Oct. 29), he scored the coveted, very rare, perfect hand of 29 points in a cribbage game.
Jim is survived by sons Timothy (Melissa) Brox, Lincoln; Michael (Yanina) Brox, Lakeland, Fla.; Daniel (Carrie) Brox, Princeton, N.J.; 12 grandchildren; nephews and niece. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary; sister, Beverly McMindes; brother and sister-in-law, Meredith and Zoe Brox; and nephew David McMindes.
Services: 10:00 a.m. Sat., Aug. 10, Wyuka Funeral Home, 3600 O St., with the family receiving guests after.
Memorials to Food Bank of Lincoln.
I just want you to know how sorry I am for your loss. Your Dad played Kings Cribbage with us on Tuesdays and often times in the winter he would go to the mall and walk with me. I am going to miss all those good times we had. I will not be able to attend the services because my wife is having heart surgery the day before and I will want to stay with her.
I worked with your dad in the late ‘90s at Unipac (now Nelnet) in the Accounting Dept. I ended up leaving for a position with another company, but what I remember about Jim was how proud he seemed to be of his kids. I was working full-time and attending college at that time. He sat in the cubicle next to me for a period of time and we would talk a lot about education. He would always tell me how there were scholarships available everywhere, that I just had to look for them. Well, I didn’t succeed in terms of finding a bunch of scholarships, but I did make it through college and grad school later on. I always remembered your dad and just recently found out he had passed away. He was a man of good character and seemed to really love his family. Sorry for your loss.