Roger L. Boucek

Roger L. Boucek
Roger Laverne Boucek, better known as "Chunker" to his family and friend, departed this life of 77 years at 5:50 AM as the sun was rising on Monday, June 28, 2010 at Salina Regional Health Center following a siege of challenges to his health. He leaves his wife Shirley of 48 years, son Troy, many cousins, friends and neighbors to remember him and carry on with things near and dear to him.
Roger was born December 14, 1932 in the Simpson area to his loving and guiding parents Lloyd and Alma Prochaska Boucek. He lived and worked most of his life on the family farm northwest of Ada.
Roger attended Bohemia School District #74 located several miles east of home. He enjoyed his many friends there, and most of his teachers at this small one room school, where you stayed until you got it (or you got it!) He said that the attitude of his teachers enabled him to be ranked first in the county in math during the county exams. He attended Ada High School, enjoying basketball, playing saxophone in the Black and Gold band, shop class and his classmates.
Following high school, Roger attended and graduated from Brown Mackie College of Business and then attended Kansas State University. After his education, he came back to the family farm and also worked at several livestock auctions. Roger worked for at the Woody Ranch for a brief time. For nearly 30 years, he was sale foreman at the Beloit Livestock Auction.
On June 16, 1962 Roger married Shirley Chapman of Beloit, Kansas, and this union was blessed with one son Troy.
Roger loved the outdoors and having fun. For many years, he and his friend Melvin (Bimbo) Mihm enjoyed riding their horses at area parades and rodeos, winning many ribbons. Roger's horses were Cricket, a buckskin mare, and Lady, a brown racehorse. He also liked playing baseball with area men at the Henry and Anna Kunc farm. Known as The Bohemians, they did quite well playing area town teams. When auto tags were issued on a first come, first served basis, Roger would camp out at the courthouse the night before to get tag number one. His love of hunting started as a young boy. With his 22 rifle in hand and in the company of his dog Shep and Scob, he hunted up and down the creek on the family farm, honing his marksmanship skills on rabbits and squirrels. His interests later turned to coyote and deer hunting; chasing around in his coyote wagon. He had many antlers hanging in the machine shed. He also had one of the first turkey permits issued in the state.
Always proud of his Czech heritage, he learned the language from his parents and grandparents. He loved visiting with fellow Czechs in the native tongue and singing the old Czech songs. Roger loved his poppy seed kolaches, roast duck, bush and pivo. Following in his grandfather's and father's footsteps, he was involved with serving as board member and dance manger of the Bohemian Hall while holding various offices including lodge president, State president and delegate to many national lodge conventions held throughout the nation. He was a member of lodge Kansasky Vysehrad #203 Glasco, for over 50 years.
Roger was active in his local community, serving on the Station Township board for many years, the township tax assessors board, township election board and the Bohemian Cemetery board for almost 40 years.
Roger enjoyed playing cards and dominoes and also 10 point pitch at community card parties at the Bohemian Hall which at times had up to 15 tables playing at once. He also was known for wearing his favorite brown felt cowboy hat. He wore the hat for many, many years; rain or shine, hot or cold. As for the lack of hair on his head, Roger said that grass doesn't grow on a busy street.
In later years, Roger was plagued with health problems. He suffered from leg ulcers, rare platelet condition which caused him to bruise easily and become dark complected. For two years he struggled with kidney failure that required dialysis three times a week. While he hated treatment, he grew quite fond of the nurses who did his treatment and his fellow patients on dialysis who became his friends. Knowing misery loved company, he made the best of the occasion by dressing up as an Easter Bunny or Christmas elf hat and even a long blonde wig.
He was like one of the 'last moheinkins'. Definitely from the old school, he enjoyed having his fun, remembering how to do the things the hard and old fashioned way, such as farming with horses, and conversing in the Czech language, knowing the local history and culture by memory and heart. He was a walking encyclopedia of how everyone in the community was related.
So now, we say, so long to our husband, father, and friend Roger. He will be missed, there will be an unfilled void in our lives, but we only say so long, for sometime we will be together again, to enjoy each other's company, stories, while having a poppy seed kolache and a pivo.

Nazdar

Funeral Services will be held at 10 AM Thursday, July 1, 2010 at the Bohemian Hall near Glasco with burial following in the Bohemian National Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Roger Boucek Bohemian Hall Memorial or the National Kidney Fund. Friends may call from 11 AM-8 PM Wednesday at the McDonald Funeral Home.