Date : 22 Sep 2006
Location : Holy Trinity Church Cemetery, Protivin, IA
Funeral services for Roger Svestka were held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 22, 2006 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Protivin with Rev. David M. Beckman officiating. The family placed the pall at the entrance of the church. Pam McAllister and Wendy Meirick were lectors. The seven grandchildren were gift bearers. Jim and Pat Zajicek and Irene Bruess were eucharist ministers. Sue Panos accompanied Miriam Humpal and the Holy Trinity choir in song. The honorary pallbearers were: Robert Lenehan, James Scholbrock, Larry Bader, Jerry Bader, Wendy Meirick, and Pam McAllister. The pallbearers were: Bill Sullivan, Gordon Buss, Edmund Samec, Ron Jirak, Robert Bader, and Darwin Kueker. Interment was in Holy Trinity Catholic Church Cemetery in Protivin.
Comway Funeral Home in Protivin handled the arrangements.
Roger, 70, died Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at the Evans Memorial Home in Cresco.
Roger Frank Svestka was born June 15, 1936 in Chickasaw County, near Little Turkey, the son of William J. and Philomena E. (Pechota) Svestka. When he was a small boy, they moved northwest of Protivin, where Roger attended the New Oregon School #8. After two years in the rural school, he attended the Rudolphinum School in Protivin graduating with the class of 1954. Following graduation, he was inducted into the U. S. Army in Des Moines on Aug. 19, 1954 and was discharged on June 1, 1956 at Ft. Ord, CA. When Roger returned back to Protivin, he worked for a winter at John Deere in Waterloo.
On September 4, 1957, he married Beverly Scholbrock at the Assumption Catholic Church in Cresco. They farmed for a few years, and they moved to Fredericksburg, where Roger hauled milk for a creamery. In 1965, they moved back to Protivin and Roger started working for Arts Milling and in 1980, he started working at Featherlite until he retired in 1997.
Roger was a member of Holy Trinity Church, American Legion Post #605, the Knights of Columbus, was a member of the Protivin Fire Department and had served as Fire Chief, he was Protivin's Police Officer, was a charter member of the Protivin First Responders and was also a charter member of the Howard County Peace Officers Association. He was a former Boy Scout leader and he had a passion for fishing and later enjoyed mowing lawn and blowing snow.
He is survived by his wife: Beverly; three children: Steven (Diane) of Decorah, IA, Marla (Roger) Einck of Rochester, MN, and Douglas (Paula) of Pine Island, MN; seven grandchildren: Nicolette, Derek, and Jarrett Svestka, Jennifer, Zachary and Benjamin Einck, and Cal Svestka; and one brother: Alvin (Marilyn) of Garnavillo, IA.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents.
Times Plains Dealer - Sep 27, 2006
