Helen Svoboda

Funeral services for Helen Svoboda will be conducted at First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah, Nebraska on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Duncan Nichol officiating. Interment will be in the Tekamah City Cemetery following the services.

Helen (Kolar) Svoboda, 98 years of age, of Holdrege, Nebraska, (formerly of Tekamah) passed away on Thursday, September 11, 2014, at the Holdrege Memorial Homes.

She was born May 2, 1916, in Omaha, Nebraska, the second of three children born to Frank and Anna (Musil) Kolar. She received her education in Omaha, graduating from Omaha South High School with the class of 1933. After high school, Helen was employed by the Moore family in Omaha as a live-in nanny and house keeper for eight years.

In June of 1939, she was united in marriage to Joe Karlik. The couple made their home in Omaha. Joe preceded Helen in death within a year after their marriage due to him contracting Tuberculosis. Following the death of her husband, Helen returned to school and received her Secretarial Associates Degree.

On March 6, 1943, she was united in marriage to Reuben E. Svoboda at Omaha and to this union five children were born: Rosemarie, Judith, Helen, Martha and Frank. The family made their home in Burt County, Nebraska, near Tekamah, where Helen was a devoted homemaker and farm wife, helping on the farm wherever needed.

Helen was active in her children's lives, and devoted to the First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah since 1948. She served as the church organist for many years, playing at Sunday services, as well as weddings and funerals. Helen was also active with the church women's groups, served as an Elder, taught Sunday school, vacation bible school and youth group. She also enjoyed many friendship bonds through the years being a member of a neighborhood club called the Lower Arizona Kingsington Club in Tekamah. She was also well known for her weekly social column in the Burt County Plain dealer in Tekamah.

Reuben passed away on October 6, 1968. In the fall of 1996, Helen began to make her home in Holdrege to be near her family.

Besides her parents and husbands, Helen was preceded in death by two brothers: Frank Kolar who died in WWII and Anton Kolar; brothers-in-law: Adolph Svoboda, Ewald Svoboda and his wife, Lois, Richard "Bud" O'Brien, and Charles Peterson.

Helen leaves to mourn her passing; her five children: Rosemarie Morrill of Sandford, North Carolina, Judy McDonough and her husband, Merv of Camdenton, Missouri, Helen Wells and her husband, Gary of Holdrege, Martha Svoboda of Lakewood, Colorado, and Frank Svoboda and his wife, Anita of Lake Ozark, Missouri; sisters-in-law: Julia O'Brien and Ruth Peterson of both of Omaha and Geraldine Svoboda of Texas; 11 grandchildren: Terisa (Jeff) Burgeson of Holdrege, Lincoln (Patsy) Tilson of Blair, NE, Lara (Joe) Huskey of Lincoln, Ginger Stahr of Tekamah, Erik (Erin) Svoboda of Eldon, MO, Kristine (Mike) Minton of Springfield, VA, Robert (Michelle) Morrill of NC, Scott Morrill of Sandford, NC, Becky (Jerry) Strickland of Hendersonville, NC, Christina Wells and husband, Darby Keeney of Lyons, CO, and Tom Wells; 20 great-grandchildren; and a host of great-great grandchildren; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege. A prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home following the visitation with Pastor Murray Jones officiating.

A memorial has been established in Helen's honor and kindly suggested to the First Presbyterian Church in Tekamah, the Holdrege Memorial Homes or the donor's choice.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home of Holdrege and the Pelan Funeral Services in Tekamah are in charge of the arrangements.