FAMILY STORIES

   My dad came to this country from Czechoslovakia in 1873, settling in Sounders County near Prague. He was married and came here with their two sons, James and Edward. Then their mother died and later Dad remarried. To this union were born my sisters, Mary, Anna, Emma, Agnes, and I, Joseph.

54th Anniversary -- Joseph and Lillie Odvody

   I went to the Prague school and also the Fremont Normal School. Then I met a fine girl from Morse Bluff, Tillie Pabian. We were married in 1917 and started our life on the farm, where we still live today. It was a hard life, but very happy and interesting. During this time three sons were born to us, Donald, Leonard and George.

   The boys went to our country school District Number 51. Then they continued on to the Prague High School.

   In 1941, our oldest son, Donald, joined the Air Force. While in service, he married a girl from Oklahoma (Dean Cox). After the service, he made his home in Oklahoma and to them two sons were born: Larry and Dale. Larry was in the Navy and is married and the father of a son. Dale was in the Army and was married, but is divorced. He is a Captain in the Reserves.

   Leonard served in the Navy for a period of three years. Then, when he was discharged, he went back to farming. He met Bessie Datel from Linwood. They were married in 1947 and moved to a farm by Prague where they still live. To them a daughter, Beverly, was born. She is married and has two sons. They live in Monroe, Nebr. In 1953. Leonard's wife got polio which left her paralyzed. She manages to lead as normal a life as her handicap lets her.

   George was farming the home place after he finished school. Then the Korean war took him into the Army. While in the army, he married Charlene Tawney from Morse Bluff. After service he went back to farming by Morse Bluff. To them three children were born, Nancy, Mike and Susan. Tragedy struck them in 1971. Their daughter, Nancy, was killed in a train accident. Then in 1980, George's wife died. By this time Mike was working and living in Fremont. Susan was going to the University in Lincoln. George remarried in 1981 to Ann Calvert from Mesa, Arizona. During this time our youngest was farming the home place. I built a nice home in North Bend. We lived there until he went into service. Then we moved back to the farm and are still there. My wife and I have had 65 years of happily married life and have a lot to be thankful for. By Joseph F. Odvody

   I wasn't raised in Saunders County but in the neighboring county of Butler.

   I did meet my husband, Leonard, here in Saunders County. He was raised on a farm north of Prague. He went to country school, District No. 51, and then on to Prague High School.

   Leonard did a little farming before he joined the Navy in 1944. When he was discharged, I might add that he received a Purple Heart Medal. In 1946, he went back to farming.

Leonard and Bessie Odvody Andy, Ben -- 2 Grandsons

   Then, in 1947, we got married and moved to a farm just west of Prague. We are still on the farm today. We have a daughter born in 1951, Beverly.

   In 1953, I came down with polio. It left me paralyzed. It was a handicap but never stopped me from doing the things that had to be done.

   Then, in 1957, we went into business in Prague, a cafe and bar. Another couple, Myron and Frances Krondak, went into the business with us. We had some good times running the business. Then, in 1959, we sold it and the men went back to full-time farmers.

   Also, in all this time, Leonard had been a musician. He played an accordion. He started playing with Ernie Kucera Band when he was sixteen years old. When our daughter was born, he quit and went to play with Jerry Havel. From there it was Al Grebenicek. Then, in 1954, four of Leonard's friends formed their own band. They were the Nebraska Polkateers and they played for about 26 years.

   Our daughter is now married and lives with her husband and two lovely sons on a farm by Monroe, Nebraska.

   Leonard and I are still farming, but not as hard as we used to. We try to enjoy life a lot more and really enjoy our grandsons. Submitted by Bessie Odvody

   Vaclav Odvody Jr. was born July 22, 1909 into a family of five sons and two daughters to Vaclav J. and Anna (Nemec) Odvody, pioneer farmers near Prague. He attended school in a rural country school called Willow Creek, Dist. 51. His occupation was farming.

   Emma (Pekarek) Odvody was born Feb. 21, 1914 into a family of four sons and four daughters to Joseph and Anna (Severin) Pekarek in Touhy, Nebraska. Living in Touhy until the age of 10, my family moved to a farm southwest of Valparaiso. There I attended school in a rural country school. After graduating from the 8th grade, I remained at home helping out on the farm with my folks, one sister, and a brother.

   On Nov. 27, 1935, I was married to Vaclav Odvody Jr. and we lived and farmed through good and bad times. Vaclav spent 34 years farming on the home place of the senior Odvodys as they moved into Prague after we were married. We were blessed with 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters: Kenneth of Morse Bluff; Dennis and Mrs. Victor (Joyce) Sousek, both of Prague; and Mrs. Marion (Nancy) Samek of Lincoln. We also have 8 grandchildren, including twin grandsons. They are the seventh set of twins on my side of the family. And we also have 5 step-grandchildren and 1 step-great-grandson.

   We belong to St. John's Catholic Church in Prague. I belong to St. John's Rosary Society and the P.C.C.W. In the spring of 1969, we moved to town to Prague. Our son, Dennis, stayed on the farm to farm after he returned from the service. Submitted by Mrs. Vaclav (Emma) Odvody

   LeRoy Ohnoutka was born on a farm four miles south of Weston in southeastern Saunders County to Fred and Anna (Woita) Ohnoutka. This homestead was purchased by his grandfather, Anton Ohnoutka, when he came to the United States from Czechoslovakia over a hundred years ago. LeRoy is a lifelong resident of this farm. He attended District #99 (now dissolved), and graduated from Weston High School.

LeRoy Ohnoutka Family. Left to Right: Craig. Kevin, Lillian, Colleen, LeRoy, and Brian.

   The only other member in his family is a twin sister, LoRene Huston of Elgin, Ill.

   LeRoy's father passed away very suddenly on March 3, 1969, after suffering a heart attack. His mother resides in Lincoln in the home they purchased when they retired from the farm.

   I was born on a farm near Morse Bluff in northwestern Saunders County. I am the second child of William and Ludmila (Fencl) Vyhlidal. I have an older brother, William Vyhlidal of North Bend, and two younger sisters, Rita Vyhlidal of Lincoln and Cecilia Perk of Brainard.

   Both of my parents are deceased. My mother passed away on August 8, 1962, after a long bout with cancer. My father passed away very suddenly of a heart attack on October 18, 1981.

   I attended District #15 (now dissolved), Prague High School and Midland College. I was a rural school teacher before my marriage.

   LeRoy and I were married on May 29, 1956 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Cedar Hill, near Morse Bluff. We are the parents of four children: Colleen, Kevin, Brian and Craig. All of our children are graduates of St. John's Parochial School, Weston and Bishop Neumann High School, Wahoo.

   Colleen graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1977, and is in her fourth year of teaching third grade at Fairmont, Nebraska. Kevin graduated from Wesleyan University, Lincoln in May, 1982 and is employed at Household Finance Corporation in Lincoln. Brian is a senior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in business administration and plans to graduate in December, 1983. Craig is a freshman at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln at the present time, and is also a part-time employee of the Warehouse Market in Lincoln.

   We are all members of St. John's Catholic Church, Weston.

   LeRoy has been employed at American Stores Packing Company in Lincoln for the past twenty-five years, commuting daily.

   As our family grew to adulthood, I returned to the teaching profession. I was employed as a teacher's aide at District #23 near Colon for five years, and at the present time, am in my third year as teacher's aide at St. Johns Catholic School, Weston. In July, 1974, after a two-year struggle against winter and summer storms, we moved into our new home built on the farm.

   LeRoy and I had the pleasure of celebrating our silver wedding anniversary on May 30, 1981. Father Paul York officiated at a Mass in our honor, after which we hosted a small party with our family and friends assembled, making it a very memorable occasion. By Lillian Ohnoutka

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   Dewey Olsen was the last living member of the John and Dorthea Olsen family. He passed away on November 20, 1978. John Olsen came to the United States in 1879 and resided in Omaha. In 1881, he returned to his native Denmark, where on the island of Langeland in the village of Lindelse, he met with Dorthea Jorgensen and members of her family, after which he brought them back to the United States. John and Dorthea were married on November 20, 1881 at the Danish Lutheran Church in Omaha. John became a butcher and worked in a shop on Cuming Street in Omaha's north side. The Olsens lived in a home near this location on Burt Street where nine children were born to the family. They were in order of their birth, Carrie, Herman, Henry, Fred J., two babies that died in infancy, Criss C., George and Margret C. In 1897, John decided that Omaha was not a good place to raise children, and, in addition, he had been troubled by rheumatism which was aggravated by his work in the butcher shop. He moved the family to a farm near Valparaiso where the last two children, Dewey and James, were born. In 1903, John bought 206 acres from an early settler in the area, Iver Jensen. John and Dorthea moved from the farm to a house in town in 1917 while Criss assumed responsibility for the farming operation.

Dewey Olsen, "city truck," City of Wahoo

   John Olsen passed away on April 1, 1927, leaving his wife and children as well as three sisters that lived in Denmark. Dorthea continued to live in Valparaiso until 1929 when she moved to Lincoln to stay with her daughter, Carrie Waite, and passed away on June 9th of that year. Both John and Dorthea are buried at Valparaiso.

   Dewey Olsen remembered his mother's aebleskivers, a round Danish pancake specialty, as one of his favorite foods when he was a boy growing up on the farm near Valparaiso. He also recalled some of the pranks, such as taking a wagon apart and then reassembling it on top of a building on Valparaiso's main street. There was the time when Dewey was in school that Valparaiso High formed a football team and rode the train to Weston for the first game. It seems that Weston was building a new school and enlisted the services of some of the bricklayers to complete their line-up. It was a somewhat battered team that returned to Valparaiso. Dewey remembered many stories about his youth as well as many close friends who had nicknames to rival a Mark Twain creation.

   Dewey first worked for the Union Pacific Railroad on a bridge gang, then moved to Wahoo where he worked for the City as a lineman. He later became employed by the Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company and worked for them over 30 years until his retirement. He married Inez M. Daharsh, daughter of Orie and Edith Daharsh, on June 15, 1938. They made their home in Wahoo, and had one son named Jon. Submitted by Mrs. Inez Olsen

   I, Lucile Marian Olsen, was born Nov. 28, 1915 at Superior, Nebraska to Otto Frederick Olsen (b. 5-3-1894, d. 6-9-1980, buried at Sunrise, Wahoo) and Minnie Rohwer (b. 7-15-1895).

   Father's family immigrated from Denmark to New York, and then to Fremont, Nebraska in 1888. His father was Zacharia Olsen and mother was Marianna Christiansen. They are buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Fremont. The Rohwer family came from Germany to the Blair and Fort Calhoun area where they farmed. Mother's parents were Carl Rohwer and Mary Hinrichsen, buried at Fort Calhoun.

   When I was six months old, we moved to Kennard, Nebr. where my parents published the "Kennard Weekly" newspaper. My only sister, Vera Louise, was born November 4, 1918 in Kennard (d. 9-11-69, buried at Sunrise).

   In November, 1924 we moved to Ceresco, Nebraska where we published the "Ceresco News" weekly until 1956.

   Vera and I both graduated from Ceresco High School, she in 1935, and I, in 1933, in the upper 10% of my class.

   Music played a big part in our lives. Otto played violin and directed the Ceresco Methodist Choir for 30 years. I played piano and organ at church for over 30 years. Vera played piano and organ at churches in Omaha. Minnie was active in Sunday School and Ladies Aid.

   On April 18, 1937, Stanley Rudolph Caha and I were married in Ceresco by Rev. J.C. Lowson. Stanley (b. 7-16-08, d. 3-9-64, buried Czech Presbyterian Cemetery) was the eldest of five children born to Frank Caha and Rose Ruzicka. Our children are: Stanley Lumir (m. Sidonia Kantner) whose children are Stanley Thomas, Alan Robert, and Joan Elizabeth of Lincoln; Norma Louise (m. Fred Frnka, div.) of San Diego, Calif.; Lynne Lucile (m. Merwin Giesmann) whose children are Lisa Lynne and Sonya Faye of Lake Sherwood, Mo.; Gordon Lyle (m. Karen Dimmitt) whose children are Kenneth Lyle, Calvin Gordon, Rodney Wayne, Laura Nadine of Santee, Calif. Stanley farmed and owned the Ceresco Machine Shop.

   Vera married Harold Richard Anderson (b. 8-8-15) March 26, 1938. Their children are: Sandra LeAnn (m. Charles Robinson, div.) whose children are Courtney LeAnn, Amy Noel, Jennifer Gail (m. Jim Teasley, 1978, Smithton, Mo.); Rita Janelle (m. Alfred Clayton Jones II, div.) whose children are A.C. III, Craig Robert, and Melissa (m. LaVern Hannemann, 1977, daughter Jaime, b. Harleton, Texas); James Craig (m. Sharlene Stracke, div. sons, Darrin and Neil). Neil married Betty Owen, div. and married Janet Kaltenberge in 1980. They reside in Colorado Springs, Colo. Harold Robert died 2-13-68 and is buried at Sunrise Cem.

   After Vera's and Stanley's deaths, Harold and I were married Oct. 3, 1970, and resided in Omaha. Harold was a heavy duty mechanic for construction firms.

   Harold's parents were Nels Edward Anderson and Elsie Miller of Wahoo. His grandmother, Ellen Anderson, and small children came from Drammen, Norway in 1882 to Wahoo after the death of her husband, Nels. Her brother-in-law, Henry Anderson, was living in Wahoo, where he was a banker. The Millers came from Germany. The families are buried at Sunrise, Wahoo.

   Nels Edward (d. 1969) and Elsie Miller (d. 1960) had seven children: Edward (d. 1965, m. Beatrice McColley, nine children); Henry (m. Olga McColley, four boys); Martha (m. Cicero Wiedeman, d. 1961, three boys and one girl); Harold (m. Vera Olsen, d. 1969, two boys and two girls, m. Lucile Olsen Caha); Raymond (m. Violet Moyer, three girls); Charles; and Edna (m. Eland Mumm, d. 1970, two boys, one girl, m. Ed Westphal, div., m. LeRoy Widman). Submitted by Lucile Anderson

   Fern (Rexilius) Olson was born on a farm three and one-half miles north of Ceresco on February 18, 1921. She was one of seven children (fourth daughter) born to John and Ida (Berlin) Rexilius. When she was about one and one-half years old, she underwent successful surgery to correct a malfunctioning hip.

   Fern attended elementary school in Dist. No. 56, located one-half mile west of Grace Lutheran Church near Swedeburg. She graduated from Ceresco High School in May, 1939. She did housework for a couple of years, and when the Nebraska Ordnance Plant at Mead opened, she was employed as a worker in the cafeteria on Load Line 2. Fern was employed there until 1945. She then was employed in the Blomstrom Cafe (later purchased by Loren and Lorraine Dotson) where she worked until she and Albin Olson were married in a lovely home wedding on April 27, 1947.

   Albin J. Olson was born August 11, 1921 on a farm near Wakefield, Nebr. to Fred J. and Mabel (Anderson) Olson. When he was 2 years old, his parents moved to a farm located four and one-half miles east of Davey, Nebraska. Albin attended elementary school in both Lancaster and Saunders Counties, graduating from Ceresco High School in 1939. He worked for different farmers in the area and also as a construction worker at the Nebraska Ordnance Plant until he was inducted into the Army in October, 1942. He served in the European Theater (World War II) and returned home in December, 1945.

   From 1946-64, Albin was employed by the Nebraska Ordnance Plant, and by Jurgens Plumbing and Heating of Ceresco. Since 1965 he has worked as a licensed Journeyman Plumber and works in Lincoln. Fern retired in 1981 from her work in the Hot Lunch Program in the Ceresco Elementary School, Dist. No. 161.

   Two children were born to Albin and Fern: Mary, born June 1, 1951; and Steven, born March 15, 1954. Mary is married to Scott A. Noble, formerly of Lincoln. They now live in Plano, Texas, and have two daughters, Amber and Ashley. Son Steven is married to the former Cheryl Rolofson of Raymond, Nebr. Steven and Cheryl have two sons, Leif and Erik. They live in Lincoln where Steve is a mortician for the Metcalf Funeral Home.

   Fern and Albin Olson have lived in the town of Ceresco all their married life. Albin has been a member of the Ceresco Fire Department and has also served the town as its Mayor. Fern and Albin are active members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church of Ceresco. They are members of the American Legion Post and Auxiliary Unit #244 at Ceresco.

   Axel Theodore (Ted) Olson is the son of Eric and Anna (Anderson) Olson, born February 13, 1900

Axel Theodore Olson, Elvera Wagner Olson, May 6, 1981, 50th Wedding Anniv.

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