Patrick Luby

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Luby, 88, died April 16, 2019 of complications from Alzheimer's Disease at Oakwood Village West in Madison, Wisconsin. His humble beginnings instilled a work ethic that enabled him to provide for his family in ways he could not have imagined having grown up in Ohio hill country during the Great Depression. An accomplished agricultural economist, selfless volunteer, and tireless advocate for education as a means for economic and intellectual self-improvement, he led his life with gratitude for the many opportunities he had.

He was born in Zanesville, Ohio, the oldest of four children of Paul and Florence Luby. Both parents were from farm families and had grade school educations. When Pat was six, the family moved out from town to a new home on the family farm purchased by his great-grandparents. He began elementary school in a one-room country school and eventually graduated valedictorian from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. His work ethic was shaped by his first job at age 12, which was delivering milk--starting each morning before dawn, 365 days a year. His chores on the family farm included milking cows, hoeing corn, making hay, and carrying water, uphill, from the spring to their house which lacked indoor plumbing.

In the fall of 1948, Pat arrived in Dayton, Ohio on a Greyhound bus with one suitcase to attend the University of Dayton, where he ultimately earned a BA degree in Economics and Mathematical Statistics in 1952. His passions for numbers, calculations and sports helped him pay his way through college. He managed a team of students doing manual calculations for Air Force research. As Chief Sports Statistician he provided "color" commentary and statistics for broadcasts and telecasts for varsity basketball and football games.

Pat went on to graduate school in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. His time at Purdue provided the scholarly preparation that shaped his professional life. Even more importantly, while at Purdue, he met his future bride and life mate, undergraduate student, Peggy Jauron. He received his Masters degree in 1953 and PhD in 1956. The day after his final dissertation examination, Pat and Peggy were married.

After receiving his doctorate, he was hired by Purdue University as an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Economics. The family moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1958, where he joined Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation as an Economist and was eventually promoted to Vice President and Corporate Economist, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. His greatest contribution there was to assemble data to study livestock market movements and trends and predict future prices of meat commodities. Because the company's profits depended on the variability of the weather, he drew from his boyhood working on the farm to become a prophet of weather and markets. Through his career and for many years after leaving Oscar Mayer, he dedicated himself to service in a number of venues. Because he was a consummate scholar, he found an intellectual outlet through his appointments as an Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Applied Agricultural Economics and Meat and Animal Science at UW-Madison. He was chair of the American Meat Institute Pork Committee, a director of the National Livestock and Meat Board, Wisconsin Agribusiness Council, and the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program.

As a devout Catholic, he also maintained a lifelong commitment to improving his broader religious and civic communities, from humble tasks like serving food at community meal programs to financial leadership roles presiding over the boards of United Way of Dane County, Edgewood College, and St. Mary's Hospital.

Pat's love of numbers and business and quietly competitive nature also carried over to an avid interest in many sports. He played golf and was a season ticket holder to Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball games. Pat enjoyed genealogy and spent many hours uncovering family history. He had a lovely tenor voice and was a talented whistler. He knew a song for every occasion and enjoyed singing in the Queen of Peace funeral choir. He was a fabulous letter writer. His manual home expenses accounting system predated computers and Quicken, but was equally accurate. Pat was a loving father and a great provider for his family. He had a playful side, making many puns, throwing a ball, and horsing around with kids and grandkids. He constantly encouraged them to "keep up the good work". He will be missed for his loving and selfless devotion to his family and community.

The family expresses deepest appreciation to the staff at Oakwood Village West and Agrace Palliative and HospiceCare who cared for Pat and provided him comfort and care at the end of his life as he moved through the stages of dementia.

Pat is survived by his wife Peggy; sister Florence (Luby) Schmall; brother Joseph Luby; children James Luby (Emily Hoover), Julie Luby (Aaron Shepard), Mary Pat (Steven) Ward, and Robert Luby (Judith Gervais); and grandchildren Claire Luby (Daniel Grant), Ian Luby, Allison Shepard (Gary Davis), Ellen (Derek) Guthrie, Samuel Shepard, Matthew (Lauren) Ward, Michael Ward, Kevin Ward, and Blaize Gervais. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Mary (Luby) Showalter.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 25th, 2019 at OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison. Friends may greet family at church one hour prior to the service. Visitation will also be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison from 3:00-7:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Our Lady Queen of Peace School Endowment Fund, St. Vincent dePaul Society, Oakwood Foundation, and Agrace Hospice Foundation or a charity of your choice.


Cress Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434