Marcae Melodie (Johnson) Lucich

     Marcae was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, to Melodie (Cusson) Johnson and Lloyd Edward Johnson.  She attended high school in Helena and Glasgow, Montana, and graduated in 1962 from Great Falls High School.

     Marcae is a veteran who served in the Navy Waves, where she was the only woman during her tenure who studied electronics at the Navy Technical School in Memphis, TN. On June 20, 1964, Marcae married by elopement in Tennessee to the love of her life, Gary Lucich. Marcae and Gary celebrated 61 years of marriage this June.

     Their marriage was truly a love story; a beautiful, rare partnership as best friends, lovers, allies, and business partners. In 1965, they welcomed a daughter, Michelle (Lucich) Bennett, and in 1967, a son, Troy Gary Lucich. 

     Marcae was best known for her fiery spirit, tenacity, and devotion to her husband and family.

     Marcae and Gary’s entrepreneurial adventures took them all over the northwest as a family.  After the military, they started ranching and milking cows, and later owned and managed drive-through dairy and produce stores in Yakima, Washington. Marcae milked the cows with her children by her side, and because she was so  tiny, the neighbors would often line up near the dairy to watch the spectacle. This little lady would accomplish the big job of milking cows and then wrestle the milk cans to the loading dock twice a day.

     In the late 70s, they moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where they joined Lucich Ford Tractor—the family business. During that time, Marcae worked for Mountain Bell telephone company as a supervisor until 1983, when the tractor dealership was sold and Mountain Bell moved to Utah.

     Marcae said yes to yet another of Gary’s adventurous ideas when they jumped into the mortgage business, growing what would become Republic Mortgage Idaho, the largest mortgage bank in Idaho for many years, from the ground up. Marcae ran operations, and Gary managed sales.  They sold the company and retired in 2003, a few years after losing their son, Troy Lucich.

     They returned to their roots after “first official” retirement, purchasing ranches in Middleton and Payette, Idaho, where they spent time with their grandchildren and raised Angus cattle. They also rebranded, operated, and grew the Franklin Junction Store in Nampa, Idaho, from 2011 to 2014.

     Marcae saw endless potential in those around her, was quick to give people a chance, and coached many into careers in the mortgage business. She and Gary managed to balance work with play, despite their success and entrepreneurial pursuits. For many years, the two loaded up their grandchildren and their friends for weekends at their cabin in Garden Valley and later Pine, Idaho, or for road trips across the country in their motorhome. They hosted company pool parties in their backyard. They enjoyed evenings out with their close friends. In her quiet time, she was a lover of books, crossword puzzles, gardening, cooking, dancing, singing, and “tootling,” as she called it, around the house. She was an empowering mother, a devoted grandmother, and a loyal, long-term friend to those she cherished.

     Marcae is survived by her husband, Gary Lucich of Boise, Idaho; daughter Michelle (Lucich) Bennett and husband Mark Neice; granddaughter Alexis (Bennett) Nybroten and husband William; grandson Mitchell Bennett and wife Jessica; step-grandson Brandon Neice and wife Katie; great-grandchildren: Abel, Evan, Clark, Rayna, and Kaden; her sisters Susan Hill (Scott) and Cheryl Evans (Grady); brother-in-laws, Ed Lucich (Pat), Robert Lucich, Dick Fenster; nieces and nephews: Mike, Neal, Poppy, Patience, Holly, Ben, Toby, Misty, Stacey, Cary, Sunny, and Ginny.

     Marcae was preceded in death by her son, Troy Lucich; father Lloyd Johnson (Wenona); mother Melodie (Cusson) Patterson (Lyle); and brother Scott Johnson.

     The family is celebrating Marcae’s impactful, vibrant life at Dry Creek Cemetery, Boise, Idaho, in a private graveside service where she will be laid to rest next to her son, Troy.