Jerry F. Valcik

Jerry F. Valcik, age 97, of Abingdon, MD, passed to eternal life on June 30. Born in 1917 in Chicago, IL to the late Frantisek and Frantiska [nee Zackova] Valcik, his parents left Czechoslovakia in the early 1900's, later returning there. In 1939, Mr. Valcik left his family in Czechoslovakia on New Year's Eve to come to America while the German occupation forces were celebrating. He remembers when daily rations only allowed one egg a week and two ounces of sugar. He met his wife, Vlasta, through the Bata Shoe Company after both arrived in America. Together, with his wife who also worked at Bata, they raised three children. They built their home on Long Bar Harbor, taking three years to build, working every evening after leaving the day's work at Bata. He helped establish the Bata Complex in Belcamp, and worked for the company beginning in 1932 and retiring in 1982. While working for them, he held the positions of Foreman, Supervisor, and Production Manager. He was part of the Bata Empire that at one time employed 3200 people in Belcamp. Upon retiring, Mr. Valcik spent the following 25 years proudly working with his grandchildren at McComas Funeral Home where he became a mentor and friend to all.. Mr. and Mrs. Valcik were instrumental in the economy of Harford County. The Valciks together have lived their lives in such a way that would make it a better place for their family, and have always been concerned for the "other person". Throughout their lives, they have adhered to the motto "Do the job right the first time".

Mr. Valcik is survived by his son, Jerry A. Valcik and wife, Carole, of Ormond Beach, FL; daughter, Alma V. McComas of Abingdon, MD; brother, Stana Valcik of the Czech Republic; sisters, Bozena Sebakova, Emilie Fojtikova, and Marie Valkova, all of the Czech Republic; six grandchildren, Victor Valcik, Howard K. McComas IV and wife, Cheryl, of Bel Air, Holly Kimble McComas of Perryman, Amy Elizabeth Valcik of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Amanda Leigh Valcik of Lewes, DE, and Michael Frank McComas and wife, Brittany, of Abingdon; and four great-grandchildren, Howard K. McComas V (Quentin), Reagan Porter McComas, Brody Austin McComas, and Colt James McComas. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife of 70 years, Vlasta [nee Pavelkova] Valcik and their son, Sidney Frank Valcik.

Those who desire may contribute to St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 1450 Abingdon Road, Abingdon, MD 21009 or the Abingdon Fire Company, 3306 Abingdon Road, Abingdon, MD 21009.

EULOGY for JERRY F. VALCIK
Presented At 11 am, 7 July 2014
At St. Francis de Sales Church

Good morning. I've had the privilege of preparing an eulogy for Dad. And, the privilege of delivering it here. So, let me begin.

Dad,

You know we are all here - at least in spirit if not physically – your beloved wife Vlasta, daughter Alma and her family including all the McComas', and my family…what a family of yours…a wife of 70 years, three children - Alma, Sid and me; six grandchildren –young Howard, Holly, Michael, Amy, Amanda, and Victor; and four great grandchildren – Quentin, Reagan, Brody and Colt. And your extended family. And, your friends!

What a wonderful opportunity we have here today, not so much to mourn your passing, but moreso, to recall and celebrate your life.

We remember that you were born a citizen of the US on March 15, 1917, ninety-seven years ago, to Frantisek Valcik and Frantiska Zackova, the eldest of eight children. We note you were born the year before the "Great War" – World War I, the war to end all wars - ended. Born in Chicago, where your father had come to work as a blacksmith, with your mother, to earn enough money to return to Czechoslovakia to buy their "dream" farm.

We remember your growing up in Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1939…your unbridled eagerness to learn with your parents' unfailing encouragement…walking the 6 kilometers every day to school alone, regardless of the "rain, sleet, and snow"…through the magnificent forested, rolling-hill, pastoral eastern Moravian countryside. Growing up at a time through the Great Depression…having only the barest of necessities…and trying to be as self-sufficient as possible on the farm…a time of getting only what you needed, and not what you always wanted.

We remember your explaining the main reason for your healthy constitution…living with your parents and brothers and sisters in a typical rustic farmhouse in a picturesque valley where the adjacent manure pile was between the house and the barn next to the clear stream with "bstruhe" (trout)…with the flies feeding on the manure and then flying through the open dining room window to drink from the huge bowl of soup on the kitchen table from which everyone dipped their share…what a way to develop a strong immune system!

We remember that you studied hard and were a good student, graduating from high school in 1935 at the typical age of 15. And, then hearing about the Bata organization, started by shoemaker Thomas Bata walking door to door to sell his wares, the largest shoe manufacturer in Europe and expanding throughout the world to make affordable shoes available to all. And, then traveling with your father to the city of Zlin, the center of the Bata world, to apply for acceptance, wondering if you had the wherewithal to be accepted, recognizing that only the best and brightest were accepted. And, then being accepted into a unique total community of highly motivated young people to live and learn in a very disciplined way, and expand Bata shoe-making activities worldwide…helping to support your parents financially with your Bata pay…learning how to prudently manage your money, saving, and buying things only when you could afford to do so…and then asking "Why aren't kids taught how to manage money here?"

We remember, then, when you were 21, with the frightening clouds of darkening Europe in 1939, your father telling you, "Jaro, bez do Amerika" – i.e, son, go to America. With a new suitcase your father could barely afford to give you, a suit with pant legs that were too short, you left. At 11 pm on the last day of 1939, when a lot of the Nazi occupiers were drinking heavily during the New Year holiday season, you boarded a train with your friend John Petrovic, garbed in your black "Gestapo-like" trench coats, fearful of being discovered by Gestapo agents who were questioning so many, but not the two of you, on your way to Genoa, Italy. What great courage to leave your homeland and go to a strange, new, place.

We remember your disconcerting ten "homeless" days in Genoa waiting for necessary paperwork from the Bata organization, and while crossing the Atlantic aboard the Italian liner "Rex", being fearful of being torpedoed and losing your lives, as so many did during this terrible wartime period. Then on your arrival, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and exclaiming, "Thank God, I'm in a free country!" We note that you were among the more affluent of new arrivals with the $20 that you had compared to the average $15 others had, and that it was easier for you to buy some bananas to enjoy!

We remember some of your recollections on the horrors of the war…the rounding up and destruction of Jewish people in the Holocaust; the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague, the Nazi overseer in Czechoslovakia, by four patriots one of which was an unrelated young man named Valcik, and the retaliatory Nazi total eradication of the town of Lidice, the killing of all the men, and the deportation of all women and children to Germany, and the retribution to all people with the name Valcik, except those of your family in the eastern part of Czechoslovakia.

We remember the beginning of your new life in January 1940 at the evolving Bata, in Belcamp on part of the 2, 000 acres Thomas Bata bought in 1932 for reportedly 50-cents an acre…living initially in the self-sufficient five-story hotel with a grocery store, bank, post office, restaurant, a "dime" store, a shoe store (of course!), a movie theater, and a recreation hall. And the many recreational activities, including dances at which you played the bass fiddle, and your ardent participation in the Czech Sokol organization dedicated to fitness and well-being.

We remember your courtship of the young, beautiful Vlasta Pavelkova who immigrated here in 1939 with her friends Faunda Kotras and Lillian Sonberg as a part of the Bata expansion. And, that many like Vlasta – some 80 Bata people – were considered by some to be "spies," and therefore were under FBI surveillance, and were being deported. And, how you proposed a "shotgun" wedding, which took place on October 7, 1940 in Elkton, the "Maryland marriage capital" at the time, and allowed Vlasta to gain citizenship, as well. And, then being married again later in St. Stephens in Bradshaw.

We remember your exquisite timing in having three children, beginning in 1941, Jerry, Sid, and Alma, all born in September, a year apart.

We remember the early years of your marriage…living at #32 in the Belcamp 2-bedroom duplex which was a profound reason to get a larger home as we grew up more…buying the lot on Long Bar Harbor where you planted your fruit trees, built a 2-car, "second home" garage without any prior experience, and then building your present home in the early 50's during your early 30's with unrestrained enthusiasm and energy, doing all the work yourself except for the excavating, masonry, plumbing, and electrical work, over a period of two-and-a-half years while working 50-55 hours a week at the factory, up to midnight during the weekdays, and every weekend. You built this home for some $11, 000 which was a lot less than the $17, 000 cost a contractor would have charged you. And, thank goodness for the weekend help shoe factory friends provided, and the wonderful meals Mom provided to keep you-all going! Boy, did Sid and I ever learn how to scrape the overpaint off windows with single-edged razor blades!

We remember going to the Northeast Market on Monument Street in Baltimore to make sure we always had enough to eat to compensate for the food you and Mom did not have while growing up especially in the 30's…on Saturday mornings initially in your second-hand, smoking 1941 Ford which burned more oil than gas, without a working heater, constantly breathing the fog-like oil-burning smoke and having difficulty in seeing each other as well as the road ahead, and how you conserved gas by shutting off the engine and coasting down hills…this, we think, was the beginning of your love for a good, big car! The fact that none of us came down with lung cancer from the oil-smoke is a miracle!

We remember all of us living on your initial salary of $18 per week, seven dollars of which was spent on food…and eventually becoming the Rubber Production Manager…and being especially proud of the Arctic air-pocket boots insulating the wearer's feet to 20 degrees below zero, and the Vietnam canvas-topped jungle boots with imbedded steel soles to protect against booby trap spikes. And, the expansion of shoe production to Salem, Indiana and Elkins, West Virginia and your periodic trips there. And, then, the eventual demise of the American shoe industry due to Asian competition.

We remember the strict disciplinarian that you were while we were growing up. You expected much of us. When we didn't meet your expectations, especially when we did something wrong, there was hell to pay. Your approach in dealing with our perceived wrongdoings was memorable – as you came home from work and walked into the kitchen, you would unstrap your belt asking Mom "Well, what did they (meaning Sid and me) do wrong today" expecting that we had balled up at least something. Meanwhile, we would scoot out the front door and hide on the side of the house until Mom had a chance to "talk" to you. Of course, Alma never did anything wrong.

We remember your stress-related heart attack in 1972 at age 54 which caused you to say "I'm finished," and that "Life is not exactly what you want it to be". However, this health setback so fortunately proved to be a turning point for the better in your life in that through the encouragement of a friend, you took the Dale Carnegie course. This taught you to live and work more fully, appreciating and valuing moreso your work-place and relationships with people. A paramount loss in your life was Sid's death, in a car accident, in 1969 at age 28. It is so clear that no one can really begin to understand the full measure of a loss until it is someone very close to them, especially the loss of a child.

We remember your retirement in 1982 at age 65, which marked the beginning of your "second career" when you were so graciously and fortunately brought into the McComas Funeral Home operation by your son-in-law, Howard. There you have had a wonderful experience for 27 years in helping with the operation, developing strong friendships, and imparting your advice, wisdom, experience, and knowledge in avoiding the pitfalls of life to especially the younger employees. In fact, one young man, Charlie Emge, was so impressed with you, that he wrote a college paper naming you "the most significant person in his life," aside from his parents. And, what a marvelous opportunity this was in keeping you young by staying active, meeting people and renewing acquaintances developed over your life here. In turn, you were valued and respected very much. It is an understatement to say that Howard is a true son to you. Young Howard has followed in his dad's footsteps in this respect, along with sister Holly. You have never stopped letting them know how much you love them and how grateful you are to them.

We will always remember your approach to work. In a manner of speaking, in the morning you'd say, "Okay, everyone, let's get ready to work. This is another day to get things done!" Then, you'd follow on with, "Oh, and good morning!" No job was ever too hard or too dirty to you. I must say, though, you once had me do something I thought you would do rather than put it off on me – you told me to clean out the several gallon cast iron grease trap in our house…one of the smelliest, most obnoxious jobs anyone ever has to do. Well, I decided you had a method to your madness – if I could clean out a grease trap without immediately becoming nauseous, I could do anything! Yes, few, if any people had a better work ethic than you did. James Mitchener in his book This Noble Land, My Vision for America put it so well, when he said, in effect, positive good results when a man works hard; he has the fulfilling pleasure of knowing that he is doing something useful. Simple words, but very poignant in describing your philosophy of work.

We remember how staunchly Catholic you were…how fundamental your faith was in underpinning your well-being and your adamant belief that there is certainly a better and heavenly afterlife…your active participation in the St. Francis Parish community since 1941…your many contributions to the well-being and betterment of the Parish…including allowing the Parish telephone extension to be installed in your home and tolerating the frequent calls which Mom answered at all hours of the night for some 10 years.

We remember your later years…as you slowed down, still staying active in your association with the funeral home in spite of your increasing physical and health limitations …and the wonderful continuing care you received from Alma, the entire McComas family, Bernie Mulaney, and Mary and Bob Moulsdale and Kay Petrovic…how ironic that Kay, a daughter-in-law of John Petrovic, the man you escaped from Czechoslovakia with, would become one of your caretakers. And, the wonderful support you received from all your doctors, and the people of the Meals-On-Wheels program – providing not only meals, but a lot more…providing some oversight of your well-being and readiness to get any help you might need, as well as some companionship. And, the wonderful love and care you received at the Awakenings of Bel Air assisted living facility from Jenny Halohan and her staff – most certainly Dee, Jessica and Jodi, especially after you entered the hospice phase of your life at Jenny's. We simply cannot say enough good things about Jenny and her remarkable care-giving facility and staff. And, the unbounded praise and we have for the hospice people, beginning with Karen Chizmar, and certainly Nurse Meredith. How you so enjoyed seeing people – family, friends, and from the Church, who made it a point to visit you during this loneliest time of your life.

We remember how you always used to say that family is very important…and that you would always try to do whatever was necessary for the well-being of your family…and how proud you were of your entire family. And, your message to enjoy life, work hard, and don't gain weight.

We remember during an interview conducted a few years before your passing, your being asked the question what would you do differently if you had the chance to live your life again? Your unhesitating reply: "Get a college education." Let me repeat, "Get a college education." You understood that education is a tremendous gateway to better realizing the opportunities life affords….

We remember your passing peacefully on June 30, 2014.

What a meaningful life you had, Dad. Well done! Now you are able to enjoy your heavenly reward!

We look forward to the day when we can all be together again, and have eternal happiness.

Son Jerry