Raymond Francis HOUDEK

HOUDEK, KONST, SAUER, BERDING, BRATTEN, NANNENGA, JACOBSON, TRITCH, PANDOLFI, COMIS, STEWART

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/17/2010 at 10:38:57

CLEAR LAKE — Raymond "Ray" Houdek, 81 of 1005 Fifth Ave S. in Clear Lake, died Monday (Jan. 17, 2005) at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 1001 Ninth Ave. S. in Clear Lake, with Msgr. Robert Hogan officiating. Burial will be held at the St. Boniface Cemetery in Garner, with military honors conducted by the Garner Veterans Ceremonial Unit. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. Fourth St. in Clear Lake. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Raymond Houdek Memorial Fund, which will go toward several various charities.

Raymond "Ray" Francis Houdek was born on April 8, 1923, in Garner. He was the son of Antone and Christina (Konst) Houdek. Raymond attended school in Garner. Later in life, he received his GED. Raymond served in the U.S. Army during World War II with the 323rd Infantry Division, Anti Tank Co. It was referred to as the "Wildcat Division". Ray Houdek married Anna Marie Sauer in May of 1944. She passed away in December of 1969. Ray worked at the Oliver Implement Plant and DX Gas Station, Klemme, and Nonweiler Construction, Clear Lake, and Clear Lake Public Schools. Ray was united in marriage to Lenita Berding on Jan. 16, 1971. They just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. Ray's favorite pastimes include fishing, hunting, gardening, square and polka dancing, and flying airplanes. He was a licensed private pilot. Ray was a loving and caring husband, devoted father, and a good neighbor. Ray belonged to the P.O.L.K. of A., of which he was a former prince in the Iowa polka club. He was also a member of the Garner American Legion, Rainbow Swingers Square Dance Club and St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Clear Lake.

Ray is survived by his wife, Lenita Houdek, of Clear Lake; eight children, Patricia (Emil) Bratten, of Lake Mills; Mary (Paul) Jacobson, of Thompson; Cathy (Dennis) Nannenga, of Garner; Deb (Randy) Tritch, of Des Moines; Deanna (Jim) Pandolfi, of Wheaton, Ill.; Allan Berding, of Kennewick, Wash.; JoAnn (Spiro) Comis, of Durham, N.C., and Barbara (John) Stewart, of Dorchester, Ontario, Canada; 23 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; a special kitty, Sasha; and many good friends, neighbors and square-dancing friends. Ray is preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Anna Marie, and four brothers, and two sisters. Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel.