KOVARIK, Leonard F. 1918-2000

TRUKA, KOVARIK, BARTA

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 10/8/2010 at 09:47:17

Decorah Public Opinion, Tuesday, April 11, 2000

Leonard F. Kovarik

Leonard F. Kovarik, 81, of Cresco, died Friday, March 31, 2000, at the WINNESHIEK COUNTY Memorial Hospital in DECORAH.

Funeral services were held Monday, April 3, at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Lourdes, Iowa, with the Rev. Roger Rethamel officiating.

Suzanne Ollendick was the organist. Cantors were Joe Wacha and Judy Bartels. Nate Zeien played the clarinet. Songs were "Here I Am Lord," "On Eagle's Wings," "Amazing Grace" and "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

Casket bearers were Harold Fravel, Jerry Smith, Joe Truka, Bart Bartels, Nickolas Zeien and Joe Neubauer.

Honorary casket bearers were Ray Bieri, Leland Truka, William J.J. Weier, Dr. Kevin Locke, Kenneth Maruska and Edward Ondrashek.

Interment was at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery, Lourdes.

Leonard was born Oct. 4, 1918, near Lourdes in Howard County, the son of William C. and Josephine (Truka) Kovarik. He attended Paris No. 9 School and returned to help on the farm.

On June 14, 1955, he was united in marriage to Adeline Barta at the Assumption Catholic Church in Cresco and they moved to the farm north of Lourdes.

The farm on which Leonard was born and raised was sold at a farm auction April 1, 1978, then he and his wife, and daughter, Diane, moved to Cresco.

After moving there, Leonard worked as a handyman providing lawn mowing in the summer and blowing snow in the winter for numerous people in the community.

On March 8, 1990, Leonard fractured his hip and this hospitalization revealed numerous other health problems. His health continued to decline, even more since December of 1999. Leonard was cared for by his wife and daughter in his own home until March 22 of this year, when he entered Colonial Manor of Elma, where his daughter works. Adeline had broken her arm at that time and the family could no longer provide care for him due to circumstances beyond their control.

Survivors include his wife, Adeline; daughter Diane Kovarik of Cresco; and three special grandchildren, Nate Zeien of Ridgeway, Brianna Fravel of Fountain, Minn., and Myranda Jo Bartels of Elma.

Leonard Kovarik was preceded in death by his parents.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.