William F. Sack

William F. “Bill” Sack, 84, of St. Paul, died Monday, December 30, 2024, at Tabitha at Prairie Commons in Grand Island.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul. The Rev. Vince Parsons will celebrate the Mass. Burial will be in the Elmwood Cemetery in St. Paul.

Visitation will be Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church, with a 7 p.m. Parish Rosary.

The service will be live streamed on Peters Funeral Home Facebook page. The direct link for that page is www.facebook.com/PetersFuneralHomeSP. 

Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is assisting the family.

Memorials are suggested to the Russ Sack Memorial Agriculture Scholarship Fund or Sts. Peter & Paul “Restoring Our Father’s House” restoration project.

Bill was born on the family farm southwest of St. Paul on July 27, 1940 to George and Pauline (Sidel) Sack. During his early years, he worked on the family farm and was also employed at the Howard County Herald and surveyed land for the ASCS office. He attended District 79 country school and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1958. In 1960, Bill became the 9th St. Paul High School student to be awarded the State Farmer Degree which was presented to him at the Agricultural Campus of the University of Nebraska.

After graduation, Bill continued farming with his father and later started farming on his own. On June 8, 1963, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Jan Schwenk, at St. Libory’s Catholic Church. The couple would be blessed with four children—Kris, Ron, Russ, and Jeff. The family continued to reside on their farm southwest of St. Paul, commonly known as “the home place”.

In the early 1970s, brothers Bill, Jerry, and Dave began farming together and formed Sack Brothers. Bill was especially proud when the name of the farming operation was changed to Sack Brothers and Sons. Nothing gave him greater joy than to farm alongside his sons.

Bill served two terms on the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School board, eventually serving as president. He then served two terms on the St. Paul Board of Education, also serving as its president. Bill was past president and director of Farm Credit Services of the Midlands, past president and director of St. Paul Co-Op Grain, and past president of the rural fire district.

Sack Brothers was honored by the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce with the Agri Business of the Year Award in 1984. The Chamber again named Sack Brothers and Sons as Agri Business of the Year in 2004.

In 1991, the Knights of Aksarben awarded the Sack family with the Aksarben Farm Family Award. The annual award is given in honor of families for having 100 years of continuous ownership of the family farm.

Bill was elected Howard County commissioner in 2002, a seat he held until 2010, when he decided not to seek reelection. He was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and served as a lay minister, a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus Council 1918 of St. Paul, a member of the Royal Coachman Car Club, Howard County Historical Society, and the Saddle Club.

In 2016, the family celebrated the Sack family farm’s 125th anniversary of family ownership. Bill and Jan moved into St. Paul in 2018. In 2023, the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Bill often stated that he was always proud to be a lifetime resident of Howard County and always made sure he gave back to the community where he lived.

He was an avid hunter, enjoyed a good card game, loved to pull down the handle of a slot machine, took pleasure in fine food, and appreciated a long drive around the countryside to look at crops and visit with neighbors. Over the years, Bill and Jan enjoyed various trips traveling around the United States. Bill loved his family to the fullest extent.

Bill is survived by his wife, Jan, of St. Paul; daughter, Kris Jakubowski (James Mudloff), of St. Paul; and sons, Ron, of Omaha; and Jeff, of St. Paul; grandchildren Jordan, Trevor, and Riley Jakubowski, of St. Paul, Sophia Sack, of Omaha, Mason Sack, of Fremont, and Jake Schwartz of St. Paul. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law Jerry and Barb Sack and Dave and Julie Sack, all of St. Paul; sister and brother-in-law Cookie and Gene Bahensky, of Lincoln; sister Mary Sack Hedrick, of Lincoln; brother-in-law Art Schmidt, of Tigard, Oregon; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Kay and Bill Scarborough, of Omaha; and many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.

Besides his parents, George and Pauline, Bill was preceded in death by his son, Russ; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Albert and Clara Schwenk; sister, Darlene Schmidt; brother-in-law, Jim Hedrick; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Gary and Betty Schwenk; and nephews, Tim Bahensky and Scott Scarborough.