L.D. Ray Cmelik 1928-2007

CMELIK, FRERICKS, STROM

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 5/24/2008 at 21:18:11

Sioux City Journal
4 September 2007

L.D. Ray Cmelik
MAPLETON, Iowa -- L.D. Ray Cmelik, 79, of Mapleton died Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007, at a Sioux City hospital.

Services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. John's United Methodist Church in Mapleton, with the Rev. Fred Pilecki officiating. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be after 2 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Armstrong Funeral Home in Mapleton.

Ray was born April 4, 1928, in Waverly, Iowa, to Frank and Margret (Frericks) Cmelik. He lived most of his youth in Waverly.

He married Carol Strom on Dec. 31, 1946, in Charles City, Iowa. His first employment was as a butcher, an occupation he pursued for several years either in his own or family-owned lockers. Never one to settle into a particular rut, he later tried his hand as a bar and restaurant owner, operating Ray's Tavern in Toledo, Iowa, where he worked also as a Federal Indian Agent at the nearby Mesqwaki settlement in Tama, Iowa. While operating his bar and restaurant, he decided to turn his love of fishing, hunting and wildlife into a career. He tested highly and secured a job as a game warden with what was then the Iowa Conservation Commission. The job took him from Toledo to Fort Madison and eventually Mapleton, where he would spend his last 47 years. Hoping to give his kids a college education, he became the head of campus security for Midwestern College in Denison, Iowa until it closed. He finished his working years as a carpenter, first for Jacobson Brothers in Mapleton and later owned his

own carpentry business.

He had an avid interest in many things and threw himself into learning skills and crafts. He learned to play the guitar by ear, then to read music, spending many Sunday mornings playing and singing to the family. He had a passion for cooking and was widely known for his cooking prowess. Countless hours were spent grilling for many functions from the Danbury Annual Stag, weddings, service organizations and many other events. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, golf, woodworking and crossword puzzles. He was known for his sense of humor, as well as his vivid storytelling. He had great pride in his family.

Survivors include three sons, Dennis Cmelik of Hartley, Iowa, Doug Cmelik of Lincoln, Neb., and Kevin Cmelik of Des Moines; two daughters, Becky and her husband, Rick Nichols of Mapleton and Kay Cmelik of Grinnell, Iowa; two grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and a brother and his wife, Frank and Nancy Cmelik of Maringo, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; a son, Larry; six brothers; and three sisters.

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