Gary Melvin Luck

Gary Luck, proud papa, grandpa, husband, and father-in-law died on September 25, 2020 at age 78 while listening to The Highwaymen, with two of his daughters by his side. Gary was a lover of life, most passionate about his family. He derived much nachas from his 5 children and 14 grandchildren and always said this was his greatest joy. He was married to Nancy, his true love, for 55 years after meeting at the library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and arguing with her over the merits of Beethoven versus Brahms. They were inseparable.

The west side of Milwaukee was Gary’s childhood home with his mother Tillie, his dad Aaron and his brother David. Gary spent his days running around the neighborhood with his brother, his cousins and friends. He cherished memories of his uncle’s cattle farm in Dodge County picking up boulders, clearing the fields, and chasing the cows, whom he loved. He, alongside his cousins, worked and played hard and always ended their days with a festive family picnic. He also worked with his dad at the family’s meatpacking business, Luck Brothers Meat Packing, and as a teenager drove trucks of swinging beef across the country to New York City. Attending Nicolet High School, he could be found hanging out at the Milky Way (what later became Kopps Frozen Custard), and going to the latest Rock and Roll shows at the Eagle’s Club, including Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. As a young man he also had a strong sense of right and wrong. He fought for racial justice and fair hiring practices by organizing picket lines at Sears Roebuck.

Gary attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he participated in the Integrated Liberal Studies program. He attended the UW-Madison Law School (class of 1968), where he organized protests on campus against the Vietnam War, played a lot of chess, and engaged in debates with anyone willing.

As a young couple, Gary and Nancy moved to Manhattan, where Gary joined a law firm and represented the transit workers and nurses unions of New York City. There they dined at their favorite Italian bistro in The Village and danced at The Café Finjan. Gary was called back to Milwaukee to join the District Attorney’s office and became head of their Organized Crime Division. Gary went on to start the law firm Luck and Rosenthal with his good friend Joel Rosenthal. In 1991, his trial work took him to the United States Supreme Court where he sought to protect a criminal defendant’s right to a lawyer when being questioned by police.

Despite his strong commitment to his profession, Gary never brought his work home, leaving his long days as a criminal defense attorney at the office, never talking about it around the dinner table; instead posing philosophical questions of the day to his family for debate.

On any given weekend he could be found on the hiking trails of the Kettle Moraine, teaching Thai Chi, gardening, practicing martial arts, boxing, playing classical, ragtime or jazz on the piano, or sitting down to read books. His favorite topics included theoretical physics, nature writing, or the works of Rabbi Shagar.

Gary and Nancy raised their family in Shorewood, Wisconsin. They went on many cross-country road trips and countless camping trips, where Gary set up a two-room, canvas tent, built wild bonfires, and stayed up singing and joking late into the night. With his family, he enjoyed traditional Shabbat dinners, where he personally blessed each child, providing a special moment of connection and reflection. This was sacred time for him.

Gary and Nancy fulfilled their dream and moved from the city to their country home, an old log cabin (built in 1860), sitting on 13 acres, referred to affectionately as “The Frog Farm,” due to the abundant serenading of the frogs in the beautiful pond every night. It was a place for his grown children and grandchildren to enjoy outdoor chores and adventures. Here, he constructed and nurtured elaborate gardens, with roses, wildflowers, and perennials. Each October, Gary exuberantly greeted his family in full pirate gear for his annual pumpkin-carving birthday/Halloween party. This included tractor rides, hayrides, building a secret fort, and a spooky trail, where Gary would take his grandchildren out at night to “frighten” the adults. When he was fully retired, he joyfully returned to a hobby from his youth: horseback riding, including dressage, jumping and polo.

Gary eagerly anticipated the weddings of his five children and the bar and bat mitzvahs of his grandchildren, where he always beamed with pride and danced the kazatzka with his sons and sons-in-law. He loved to dance, like the former ballet company dancer that he was, letting loose at all family simchas with joyful abandon.

Full retirement took Gary and Nancy to Tucson, Arizona, where they walked their dogs through the Catalina Foothills, and as volunteer park rangers, made sure that their beloved trails in the mountains were well traveled. Gary kept his family endlessly entertained with his mischievous antics and life affirming ways. He always said, it’s the time with your family that is most important. At the end of his life, he left us with one message: “It’s all about the LOVE.”

Gary leaves behind his wife, Nancy Luck, his children Aviva Shlimovitz (Cary), Tamara Koransky (Jason), Talia Plotkin (Gabriel), Arik Luck (Rachel), Jake Luck, and his 14 grandchildren: Ariana, Eli, Maya, Sophie, Ezra, Abe, Violet, Zev, Yedidyah, Zohara, Sam, Tallulah, Ira, and Opal, and his brother David Luck (Fran), nieces and nephews Shula Luck, Joseph Luck, Dania Luck, and Aytan Luck (Rae) and countless other friends and relatives.

May his memory be for a blessing/Zecher Tzadik Livracha

Virtual Shiva to take place over Zoom:

Wednesday, September 30, 6:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00pm Central)

Thursday, October 1, 6:00 PM Pacific Time(8:00 Central)

Saturday, October 3, 7:00 PM Pacific Time (9pm Central)

If you would like a shiva zoom link, please email Lauren Schuller at bneimitzvah@emanuelsf.org. Give your name and indicate which date you are planning to attend.

In Lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Gary Luck’s memory may be made to The American Brain Tumor Association. www.abta.org

A graveside service for Gary will be held Wednesday, September 30, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) at East Lawn Palms Cemetery, 5801 East Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85712. Please see the link for Facebook Live Streaming where the services are indicated below. You may need to set up a Facebook account, if you don't already have one.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eastlawnpalmsmortuary.com for the Luck family.