Henry H. Novak Sr.

He is survived by his wife, Del Darling of Austin, Texas; son, Henry H. Novak, Jr. and wife Karen of Tomball, Texas; daughter, Susan D. Teele and husband Mark of Cypress, Texas; son, Patrick J. Novak and husband Adam of Guerneville, California; grandchildren, Brent Novak and wife Sheila, Meghan Novak, and Allen Calhoun and wife Tiffany; great-grandchildren, Anthony Calhoun, Adriana Calhoun, and Mikey Calhoun; step-children, Cindy Rollman and husband Bruce, John Anderson and wife Jeannie, and Betsy Anderson, and their families.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Dorothy Mae Novak; his brother, Eugene Novak; step-sister, Irene Butschek, and his parents.

Henry grew up on his parents farm in Hallettsville, Texas, working daily on the farm side by side with is beloved Dad, Joe. From that point on, he continued to love the simple farm life, both the work and the fun, and especially loved swimming in the creek. The love of farm continued until his death. He attended the Moravia school and then Schulenburg High School. He then attended Baldwin Business College in Yoakum, Texas for one year, taking three accounting courses and typewriting. He was encouraged to join the military because if you volunteered you could pick the branch of service; if drafted, they’d pick for you. A clean ship appealed to him, so he joined the Navy in 1947. It was peacetime and he was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he was assigned to a ship that was a land tanker transport. He held different jobs on the ship, even sewing buttons on the sailor’s uniforms because he was one of the few who knew how. On the island, he worked at the commissary, the largest in the world at the time. He was in line to be promoted when he learned he was receiving a hardship discharge because his mother needed him back home working on the farm. He was very disappointed.

He later moved to Houston, Texas and lived with his sister, Irene, and worked at Champions Paper, where they made the paper for Life Magazine. He later applied at Ethyl Cooperation, a new chemical refinery being built in Pasadena, Texas. He joined the electrical apprenticeship program, and remained there for 40 years as a Journeyman Electrician and eventually an Electrical Supervisor.

He met his Sweetheart, Dorothy Mae Hubenak, on a blind date set up by family friend, Vlasta Slanina. They met at the Bill Marz Dance Hall in Houston, and the rest is history. They were married at Christ the King Catholic Church in the Heights, and lived in the same home in north Houston together, one they had built before the marriage. Henry continued to work and Dorothy remained home with their three children, Henry Jr., Susan, and Patrick. All three attended Catholic school through high school.

Henry was a member of Assumption Catholic church for 50 years, serving as a lecturer and Eucharistic Minister (and on-call handy man), an active member of the church’s St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Holy Name Society, the Knights of Columbus, the SPJST Lodge 88, The Harvest Years Society and the POLKA club.

Henry was a loving, devoted husband, compassionate, loving, and supportive father, and doting grandfather and great-grandfather. His children were his pride, his grandchildren were his joy, and his great-grandchildren were his angels. He loved and served God first and foremost. He was definitely a man of service, to his God, to his church, to his family, to his community, to his family and to his friends. He was always ready and willing to help wherever and whenever needed; a fervent volunteer.

He was known for his contagious smile, sparkling blue eyes, his sweetness, and gentle kindness to all. He would light up the room the minute he walked in. He loved to dance polkas and waltzes, and playing dominoes was his favorite past time of all, and was an exceptional player and willing teacher. He was a superb handy man, and believed in doing it yourself, and he did it well. He lost his Sweetheart, Dorothy, in 2004 to cancer shortly after celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

In 2007, he married Delphine Vaselka Darling and moved to Austin, Texas. They shared the love of dance, volunteer service, travel, and playing dominoes.

The family would like to give our heartfelt appreciation to the warm and beautiful staff of The Solana Vintage Park Brookdale Senior Living facility and Brookdale Hospice for the past two years, they have taken loving and attentive care of our Henry Sr., providing him with companionship, laughter, a reason to smile, kindness, and an attentive audience to his farm stories. We could not have done it without you. He loved you all.

Visitation will be held at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home Thursday, May 10, 2018, from 5 PM- 8 PM, rosary at 7 PM. Funeral services will be held at Assumption Catholic Church, 901 Roselane, Houston, at 10 AM Friday morning, May 11, 2018, The burial will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery, 3502 N. Main Street, Houston, 77009. Luncheon reception at Assumption Catholic Church hall to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Assumption Catholic Church in Henry’s name.