Agnes Frances McConnell

Agnes Frances McConnell was born Agnes Frances Dubec on March 11, 1933, in Littlefield, Texas, to Joseph and Frances Dubec. She was one of eight children and a first-generation Czech-American. Her first language was Czech, which was spoken at home, though she quickly learned English in elementary school. Becoming fluent in both Czech and English, she helped teach her parents English in the home. In 1955, she married Paul McConnell at Saint Michael’s Catholic Church in Needville, Texas. The day after their wedding, Paul received his military draft and was sent to Fort Bliss. Because family was extremely important to Agnes, she returned to her Texas home during their military service, to reside with her mother, father and siblings. Once reunited with Paul, and following the birth of their first child, they relocated to the Houston Heights. Remaining in the Heights area, they purchased a home close to church and schools, as Agnes’s Catholic faith was extremely important to her and throughout her life, she faithfully attended Mass, supported the church in numerous ways and sang in the church choir for many years.

As a daughter of sharecroppers, Agnes was forced to grow up quickly. From a very early age, Agnes had to not only pick cotton, but was expected to do other chores and help raise her younger siblings. Agnes’s mother taught the children to cook traditional Czech meals as well as traditional Czech kolaches, strudel, pies and cakes. One of her most told memories was how at eight years old her parents went to town and told her to make sure if the relatives came before they returned, that she feed them. Sure enough, they showed up before her parents came home so she caught, cleaned and cooked a chicken and multiple sides all on her own. Along with cooking and baking, she became very skilled in preserving jellies, jams, pickles and so much more. As a young adult she worked in a local café for two years and further refined her skill and passion for cooking. Over the years, Agnes became very well known for her own recipes such as kolaches, strudel, coconut pie, cornbread dressing, homemade bread and fried chicken.

Eventually being a homemaker and a mother to four children, Agnes’s love for children inspired her to run a daycare out of her home, becoming a symbolic mother to many more children through the years. As her children grew, Agnes had more time to spend doing the things she so enjoyed, such as joining the Czech Heritage Singers of Houston, performing traditional Czech songs at local Czech heritage festivals. She loved dancing and many weekend evenings were spent dancing in the local Knights of Columbus or American Legion halls to the local Texas Czech bands. Once her children were older, she began her career working in the insurance industry and after 20 years of service retired to spend time with her husband Paul and all of her children and grandchildren. However, due to Agnes’s energy and love of children she quickly returned to the workforce, accepting a position in the neighborhood at Immanuel Lutheran Church’s daycare.

Agnes very much enjoyed acquiring new skills and over the years acquired numerous interests and hobbies. Agnes enjoyed embroidery, painting ceramics, macramé, and flower and vegetable gardening and eagerly shared her knowledge and passions with her children and grandchildren. She loved playing games such as dominoes, cards, and bingo and greatly enjoyed traveling to Louisiana with family and friends to the casinos. She also enjoyed many outdoor activities such as dewberry picking and fishing.

Agnes shared much more than her gaming and homemaking talents with her children, she also shared her love of scary movies, mysteries and Czech films. Her love of nature and animals, especially birds, and specifically hummingbirds. She always enjoyed working in her vegetable garden and flower gardens and sharing her abundant annual crop of grapefruits. The consummate learner, Agnes was not afraid of technology, and in her later years owned an iPad and an iPhone, ultimately becoming an avid texter to her children and grandchildren, sister and brother.

A stranger to no one, Agnes cultivated and maintained numerous close friends and relations that were able to enjoy her lighthearted sense of humor and passion for fun.

Agnes resided in the Houston Heights area until her passing on January 5, 2022.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.heightsfuneralhome.com for the McConnell family.