Louise Evelyn Zrubek Palousek

A loving family welcomed Louise Evelyn Zrubek into this world on Sunday, November 12, 1922 in her family home on a farm in Granger, Texas, and she passed peacefully from this world on Friday February 17, 2023 surrounded by loving family and friends in her home at Westminster in Austin, Texas. She was born to Louis Urban Zrubek and Mary Loykasek Zrubek immigrants of the 1880’s, from Frenstat pod Radhostem, Moravia and Ostravice, Moravia respectively. They came to Central Texas, met and were married in 1897 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Taylor, TX. They built a life around farming in Granger, Texas, and 15 children were born of the marriage, 10 of whom lived to majority. Louise was the youngest of three boys and seven girls and lived a remarkable and blessed 100 years. She was baptized into the Catholic faith at Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, Granger, TX on November 22, 1922.

In 1929, Louise, at the age of six, lost her father who died of tuberculosis at the age of 57. Mary Loykasek Zrubek went on to raise her family and manage the family farm and properties with the help of her children: Bertha, Marcella, Mary, Edd, Angeline, William, Otillie, Emil, Edith & Louise. Farm hand, Joe Roznovsky was hired after Emil bought the saloon in town and could no longer help on the farm. Edith and Louise were living at home with their mother at that time, and Louise had fond memories of Joe’s kindness and versatile skills in helping to run the 185-acre farm. Louise remembered the rosemary growing in her mother’s garden, the bee hives that were tended on the family farm, and the voices of her brothers singing their favorite songs: Edd, “Home on the Range”, Bill, “Let the Rest of the World Go By”, and Emil “You Are My Sunshine”. There were dogs to protect the chickens, and cats to catch the mice. In the fall of the year, her mother would buy whiskey [remember this was prohibition!] from the Kaderkas and would use it to make the best fruitcake! At times, her mother would have a little whiskey in the morning for an aching joint or to ward off the cold.

Louise, being fluent in Czech, just as her siblings before her, began her education in the English language at Palacky School, and recounted that Ms. Driska and Ms. Bucek, teachers at the Palacky school, lived with them at various times during the school year. The school was located across the road from the driveway to the Zrubek home place, which is now designated 2050 CR 327 Granger Tx 76530. Her father, Louis Zrubek had served as a Trustee for the school, and since its inception in 1908, it stayed in continuous operation for approximately 45 years to serve the children of this rural Williamson County Czech immigrant farming community, including many of Louise’s nieces and nephews. After 8th grade, Louise was unable to follow in the footsteps of her siblings who went on to Granger High School, because there was no transportation available.

In the summer of 1940, her mother became ill and was at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, TX. During this time, Louise lived with her sister Otillie & husband Dennis on their farm in Granger. The siblings, including Louise who saw her mother the day before her death, rotated visits to the hospital. On August 27, 1940, Louise’s beloved mother, Mary, died of a pulmonary embolism. Louise became an orphan at the age of 17. After the estate was distributed, Louise made the decision that she needed to complete her education. Three of her now married sisters lived in Jarrell, TX, and invited her to come live with them. High School was 3 years at that time, and Louise met with Principal Fisiola at Jarrell High School who accepted her late enrollment for the 1st year of high school, with the stipulation that she needed to catch up on what had already been covered in the year’s curriculum before she entered the classroom. She made the decision to live with her sister Bertha [who was married to Louis Valenta in July 1922, the year of Louise’s birth] because her niece Marie, the oldest of their eight children, was a Senior at Jarrell High School at the time, and best equipped to tutor her in preparation for beginning high school. Once she began school, she went to live with her sister Angeline and husband Frank Hudec, and their five year old daughter, Joyce. Louise went on to participate in many school activities, including cheerleading for her nephews who played on the Jarrell football team. Circa 1941, although now living in Jarrell, Louise was chosen as a Duchess in the Corn Carnival in Granger, and she asked her future husband, Victor Palousek, to be her escort. This was the last Corn Carnival ever held, because in December 1941, the US entered World War II as the result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Louise went on to graduate as Salutatorian of the Jarrell High School Class of 1943.

Louise, then 20, moved to Austin, Texas to attend Nixon Clay Business School, and roomed with her 25-year-old sister Edith Zrubek, and 18 year old niece Agnes Viktorin, also a graduate of Jarrell High School. Three strikingly beautiful brunettes were taking on life in the big city of Austin at the ages of 18, 20, & 25!

Louise’s first job was as a secretary for the Texas Department of Health which involved working with Texas counties; she was proud she learned the names and locations of every Texas County as a result of that work!

After serving in WWII, Victor Frank Palousek returned home to Jarrell, TX in February 1946, resumed his courtship of Louise, and upon engagement, a June wedding was planned. A job opportunity in McAllen moved the date up, and Louise Zrubek and Victor Frank Palousek were marred on April 25, 1946 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Austin, TX, and a reception was held at Victor’s parents’ home in Jarrell, Texas. Farming was lucrative at that time, so they decided to return to their families in the Czech farming communities of Williamson County. At first, they leased land from the McRae’s, and their first child, Susan Marie, was born October 1, 1947, and then Constance Ann was born October 23, 1950. They then bought the Joe Danek farm south of Jarrell, and moved there on Connie’s first birthday. Louise remembered moving her birthday cake as well as their belongings. The Palousek farm was bordered on the east by the John & Mary Danek family farm and across the road and to the west by the John & Rosie Danek family farm. Those first years were prosperous. They planted cotton, corn, and maize, had cows, chickens and pigs, and were able to put on an addition to the house, buy a second car, and were active parishioners of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Corn Hill. Then the drought of the 1950’s took hold; Victor found a full time job in Belton, Texas at Griggs Equipment, a school furniture manufacturer, and farmed their land, and the adjoining John & Mary Danek land after work, often into the late evening hours. In 1956, a job opportunity with Edelstein’s Fine Furniture and Imperial Manufacturing Company took the family to Brownsville, Texas, but they kept the farm because of their love and appreciation for the agrarian life. Through the ensuing years, John & Rosie Danek, then their son Emil Danek, and his sons John & Greg Danek leased the Palousek farm and protected the legacy of Czech farming.

In Brownsville, Victor and Louise became active members of the community and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and Susan & Connie attended Incarnate Word Academy. Louise was a homemaker and involved in her children’s school activities, and took a part time job working at Bates Insurance Agency. In 1960, a job opportunity brought them to Dallas, Texas, and that was also the year that Victor Frank Palousek, Jr. came into the world on September 6, 1960, and completed the family.

Victor and Louise were members of Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, in Farmers Branch, Texas, active in the Knights of Columbus, involved in the Church, and busy raising a family. Victor decided to get his barber license, and then went on to own two barbershops often having the Dallas Cowboys for his customers. Louise kept the books, and got her manicuring license, made his appointments, and gave manicures. They worked as a team in this endeavor for several years, Victor got a real estate license, and Victor & Louise began acquiring investment property, looking to yet another possible career change, when in 1972 he suffered a fatal heart attack while on a July 4th Holiday weekend trip to Arkansas with Louise and Victor, Jr.. Louise, widowed at the age of 49, with an 11-year-old son, was now entering another chapter of her life.

In 1973, Louise and Victor, Jr. moved to Austin, Texas to be nearer to family in Austin, and the nearby towns of Jarrell and Granger. She joined Sacred Heart Catholic Church, raised Vic, was involved in his scouting and school activities, and became a Tupperware Dealer. A few years later, she became a founding member of St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, and was very active in The Great Club, St. Anne’s Circle which did nursing home outreach, the Widows Group, and the Senior Activity Center on Lamar Blvd.

In 1977, Louise went to work for Radiology Consultants [Austin Radiological Association] where she applied her expertise at data entry, medical claims processing, and bookkeeping until her retirement in 1992. She was awarded a Caribbean Cruise at her retirement party for her many years of dedicated service.

In the years that followed, she traveled to many states in the US, including Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Louise also traveled to several foreign countries, including Mexico, Canada, Spain, Germany, Austria, The Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary.

No amount of travel substituted for being with family. She loved cooking and baking for her family, especially Czech specialties such as kolaches, poppyseed cake, homemade bread, and cookies of numerous varieties. She was noted for her kolaches above all else, and her brownies and snickerdoodles and oatmeal cookies. She enjoyed reading, especially the newspaper, and doing crossword puzzles. Louise greatly enjoyed the beauty of nature, caring for birds in her backyard, gardening, and watching plants grow. She was very in tuned with the weather, noting wind direction, the rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon, clouds, measurement of rain fall and the changing of the seasons. Louise had a great love for animals, and especially ducks, birds, and cats.

In 2014, she moved to Westminster Independent Living, and yet another chapter of her life began. She developed warm and deep friendships with many, many of the residents, and became active in so many of Westminster’s programs. From the beginning, she attended Mass at St. Austin’s Catholic Church, then as travel became more taxing, Mass at nearby Seton Hospital Chapel, and when getting out finally became too difficult, she suggested that a Catholic Communion service be held in the Westminster Chapel on Sundays, in lieu of Eucharistic Ministers coming to each residence individually. The idea took hold, and soon a faithful group attended each Sunday service and then enjoyed breakfast or brunch together.

Through the years she served as assistant scout leaders, lunch mother, religious education assistant, and did quilting with St. Anne’s Circle to raise funds for charitable work. Louise was a member of KJZT, Corn Hill chapter, a Czech Fraternal Organization, and her mother was so proud to enroll her at the age of 13 because she now had four of her daughters in KJZT with her: Bertha, Mary, Marcella & Louise. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Servant Daughters of Corn Hill, #2778.

She will be remembered by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many, many friends for her smile, her kindness, her sweetness and her generous nature. We all know she could never send someone home without giving them food to take with them, and we all remember the muffins and mints in these later years.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Louis & Mary Zrubek, her husband, Victor F. Palousek, Sr., her son, Victor F. Palousek, Jr., her son-in-law, William H Harding, Jr., her granddaughter, Rebecca Jeanne Hicks, all of her brothers and sisters and their spouses, and many nieces and nephews and their spouses.

She is survived by her daughters Susan Marie Palousek Harding of Wylie, TX and Constance Ann Palousek Hicks of Austin, TX. Four grandchildren, William H. Harding, III & his wife Leighann of Norristown, PA.; Kelly Harding Meyer & her husband Scott of Wylie, TX; Kimberly Hicks & her husband Matt Miller of Austin, TX, Michelle Hicks Cummings & her husband Zac of Houston, TX. Eleven great grandchildren, Aaron Harding, Samuel Harding, Anna Harding, Jesse Harding, Evan Meyer, Sydney Meyer, Natalie Meyer, Ethan Meyer, Elliot Meyer, Addison Cummings, and Lilliana Cummings.

A visitation will be held at Cook-Walden Funeral Home (6100 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX 78752) on Thursday, February 23, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm with Rosary led by Father Paolo Puccini C.S.P. at 6:00 p.m. Funeral Mass & Burial officiated by Father Stephen Nesrsta, Pastor and con-celebrated by Father Paolo Puccini C.S.P. at 10:00 a.m. Friday, February 24 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Corn Hill, 8626 FM 1105, Jarrell, TX 76537 with reception and lunch to follow.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Dr. Michael Pelligrini, Kathy Cody, and all the staff of Westminster, the Heart Hospital and Hospice Austin for all your care, kindness, and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Corn Hill.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com for the Zrubek Palousek family.