JOSEPH A. AND MINNIE [HAVLICEK] VECERA
Joseph A. Vecera was born in Lodgepole, Nebraska, on September 2,
1884, where his parents, Joseph F. Vecera, born in Vanee, Moravia,
and Frances Lapesh, born in Trebic, Moravia, homesteaded when they
came to America. Other family members were: Mary, Frances, Frank,
Anna, Vac, and Rosie. The family subsequently moved to a farm south
of Verdigre and he attended country school through about grade five.
He was working in the Havlicek General Store when he met Minnie
Havlicek who also worked there. On November 15, 1909, the two were
joined in marriage at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church by Father
Petlach. He became a partner in the Havlicek and Vecera General
Merchandise Store with Frank Havlicek (Minnie’s brother), and in
1915 they built the building now occupied by Maly’s Corner Store. In
1929 he sold his interest in the store to the Havlicek family and
worked with the county road crew. He was a member of the Knights of
Columbus, the Katolicky Delnik, the Verdigre Military Band and
Volunteer Fire Department.
Philomena (Minnie) Havlicek, daughter of John Havlicek and Frances
Opocensky, was born September 24, 1885, in a log cabin north of
Verdigre while her mother was away from home helping prepare meals
for threshers. Obviously, pioneer mothers did not pamper themselves
when the birth of a child was imminent. Other family members were:
Mary, Frank, John, Fred, Annie, Charles, Eddie, and Albina. She
attended country school north of Verdigre up to the ninth grade, and
her report cards would have made any parent proud. She was a convert
to the catholic faith and a member of the Ladies’ Guild for many
years. She worked at the Havlicek and Vecera Store after her
marriage and in later years at Nedorost’s Store.
Five children were born to the Veceras - the first, a boy, lived
only a few hours. Four living children include: Marie, Marcella,
Frances, and William.
Marie (Mrs. James Rudloff) of Verdigre and husband James, had four
children: Philip, Phyllis, Charles (deceased), and Janet. James and
Marie farmed west of Verdigre from 1936 through 1979 when they built
a new home in southwest Verdigre just two houses west of the Joseph
Vecera home in which she was reared. Throughout her lifetime, Marie
has kept up with the piano and organ and taught piano while on the
farm and now in town. She is also an avid gardener.
Marcella (Mrs. Thomas Stack) of Sun City West, Arizona, and her
husband have six children: Michael, Susan, Mary, Fran, Marcia, Jane
and Thomas. Tom, a chemical engineer worked in Whiting, Indiana, for
Standard Oil Company and later commuted to Chicago for many years
until his retirement. Marcella enjoys art and works in several
mediums including oil, watercolor, and acrylic.
Frances (Mrs. Thomas Kucera) of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Tom are
parents of three sons: David, Richard and Paul. Tom worked as a
plumber and Frances as a secretary in Lincoln until their retirement
in 1980. They enjoy traveling, church work, hobbies, and Bridge.
William of Sidney, Nebraska, married Maxine Mewes; they are the
parents of one daughter, Laurie. Bill served in the U. S. Army as a
paramedic and later became Nebraska’s FIRST male registered nurse.
He worked as an anesthesiologist at Sidney Memorial Hospital for
many years. He retired in December 1984 and enjoys fishing on Lake
McConaughy.
Happy memories during their growing-up years include attending the
annual firemen’s dances and chicken feeds as a family in the old
pavilion on the hill - all the chicken and ice cream a kid could
eat! Dancing with one’s dad was always a thrill for the girls.
Joseph loved to hunt and fish and camped out with his Verdigre
friends quite often. They remember eating fish and game - rabbits,
pheasants, ducks, and geese - as a steady diet. Their mother was an
accomplished seamstress, and during the depression years she sewed
cotton dresses at 50 cents each, including a fitting, as well as
making all her girls’ clothing.
All four children enjoyed affiliation with the Catholic Sokols of
Verdigre and participated in drilling and track events in
competition with groups from Omaha, South Omaha, Tabor, South
Dakota, Clarkson, Dwight, and Bee, to name a few.
Joseph A. Vecera died on December 5, 1958, after suffering for five
years following throat cancer surgery at the Mayo Clinic in 1953.
Minnie lived by herself in their home and spent a few winters with
the Kuceras in Lincoln. In September of 1968 she suffered a stroke
and spent two months in the Lundberg Memorial Hospital in Creighton
followed by two months in Plainview Manor where she died on January
18, 1969.
Pages 447, 448
