Cecil L. Lujin, 88 of Sedalia, passed away Sunday, December 13, 2020 at Rest Haven Nursing Home.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no visitation and graveside services will be limited to family members on Friday December 18 at Calvary Cemetery.
He was born Feb. 28, 1932 in Sedalia, Mo., son of Floyd and Ernestine (Lear) Lujin. In Nortonville, Kan., he was married to Agnes Corpstein, who died June 6, 2003.
Mr. Lujin was raised and educated in Sedalia. He graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in 1949, the same year he, along with Dennis Semkin, Bob Gardner, and Jim Johnston, was part of the school’s state champion debate team. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Missouri in 1953.
After completing his undergraduate degree, he served in the United States Army in Germany until 1955, reaching the rank of Corporal.
His professional career included work in the insurance, beverage, and agriculture industries. He worked for Phoenix Insurance Companies and Continental Casualty Company in their Kansas City, Mo. offices. He also worked for Pepsi-Cola Bottlers of Sedalia, Mo. and the Farmers’ Cooperative of Monroe City, Mo.
He possessed two loves beyond his family and friends: golf and lifetime learning. His passion for golf began when he started caddying while in grade school. He won several local amateur golf tournaments and competed in Senior Professional Golfer Association qualifying tournaments. His broad and extensive reading and interest in history, biographies, Latin, World War II, and scientific innovations resulted in him serving as a frequent game show panelist and popular teammate in trivia competitions.
Survivors include two sons, Jeff Lujin of Independence, Mo. and Kevin Lujin of Overland Park, Ks; and a daughter, Jennifer (Craig) Davied of Shawnee, Ks. along with two grandchildren, two nephews, and two nieces.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to either of the following Sedalia School District Foundation scholarship funds that both focus on students demonstrating financial need: the Gerald O. & Helen E. Cecil Memorial or the Allen-Miller Family Scholarship Fund. Memorials may be left at or mailed to the funeral home. Arrangements under the direction of McLaughlin Funeral Chapel, 519 S. Ohio St., Sedalia, MO 65301.