In Memoriam

In Memory of Andeline Svoboda

Andeline Virginia Svoboda passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Scottsdale, Arizona. She celebrated her 96th birthday on April 19, 2022.

A memorial mass was held at St. Patrick Catholic Community Church in Scottsdale on Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. She was laid to rest that afternoon at Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix.

She was born to Joseph and Annie Beralek in Waco, Andeline Svoboda Texas.

Andeline and husband Woodrow started the Betty Ann Label company in Dallas in 1966. The business manufactured beautiful, embossed cards and labels for gift packages, and they sold the products nationwide. Andeline worked as the secretary/treasurer of the company. She and Woodrow worked very hard to make the business successful. They operated the company for 25 years, until they retired and sold the business.

Andeline enjoyed traveling to Europe, cruises to Hawaii and Alaska, and to Mexico. She was specifically grateful to attend her three grandchildren’s weddings.

Andeline was member of SPJST Lodge 84, Dallas.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband Woodrow Svoboda.

She is survived by daughter Betty Thomas of Pagosa Springs, Colorado; grandchildren Chad Thomas of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Matt Thomas and wife Monica of Centennial, Colorado, and Rebecca Bunning and husband Matt of Thornton, Colorado; and great-grandchildren Austin, Dylan, Hunter, Kasiya, Parker, Jacob, and Clara. —SPJST—

Resolution of Sympathy

We, the Resolution Committee of Lodge Hvezda Texasu, No. 47, Seaton, express our sincere sympathy to the family of our departed brother, JOE JOHN VRANA, age 84, of Rogers, Texas, who went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at his residence surrounded by his family.

Visitation was Friday, June 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple with a rosary at 7 p.m. Mass was held on Saturday, June 18 at 10 a.m. at St. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Granger, followed by burial at Old Calvary Cemetery in Granger. Serving as pallbearers were Remington Lutz, Branden Seidel, Matthew Vrana, Paul Sherek, Patrick Sherek, and Joshua Sherek.

Joe was born on March 24, 1938, in Littlefield to Stanley and Wilma Vrana. At the age of 16, his parents moved their family to Granger, where he attended St. Cyril and Methodius School. He went to work for Dude Wright, where he did custom combining. Eventually, he went to work on a ship on the Grand Island in the Louisiana Bay. In 1962, Joe enlisted in the United States Army. Joe was released from his duties in 1964, where he then received an honorable discharge in 1968. Joe started a career at Wilson Art Plastics on August 13, 1964, where he worked for 29 years as a carpenter and ended his career in the maintenance department as a welder.

Joe married Betty Sherek of Taylor on October 15, 1966, and moved to Rogers. Joe had two children - Tammy (Vrana) Lutz and Tim Vrana. He also had three grandchildren that he adored tremendously - Remington Lutz, Trinity Lutz, and Aleksee Lutz; and his son-inlaw, David Lutz. One of Joe’s favorite dishes was his son-in-law’s shrimp etouffee.

Joe retired from Wilson Art on April 2, 1993, which allowed him to do what he desired the most - custom hay baling. Joe enjoyed dancing and listening to Czech bands like Joe Patek, Majeks, Vrazels, and the Dujka Brothers. One of his favorite pastimes was deer hunting. He received great pleasure out of mounting his deer heads as trophies. It wasn’t uncommon to see him working on tractors, trying to improve them in any way he could. One of his greatest talents was being able to take a piece of steel and turn it into a masterpiece. Joe would get excited taking his granddaughters for rides on his tractors and was passionate about hunting and fishing with his grandson. Joe never turned down a Wild Turkey drink; however, his favorite beverage was coffee. He never missed an opportunity to be at the coffee shop with his friends. Even when he was no longer able to drive, his wife or friends drove Joe Vrana him to have coffee at the City Café. Joe was active in the church. He served as an usher for many years at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Temple and in several different capacities at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Rogers. He was a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus Council 12931. He was instrumental with the foundation and growth of St. Matthew’s - serving the Lord by volunteering countless hours with upkeep, church maintenance, serving on the financial council, usher, and fundraising activities. He was a member of SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Wilma Vrana; brothers Frank Vrana, Stanley Vrana, and Rudy Vrana; sisters Mary Hendrix (his twin sister) and Martha Stefek. He is survived by his wife Betty Vrana of Rogers; daughter Tammy Lutz and husband David of Temple; son Tim Vrana of Rogers; grandchildren Remington Lutz of Carbondale, Illinois, and Trinity and Aleksee Lutz of Temple; brothers Willie Vrana of Taylor and Johnny Vrana of Granger; and sister Marcella Neal of Bastrop. May our departed brother rest in peace. Resolution Committee Ruth Hanusch Joyce Skrabanek —SPJST—

Witness to the Life of Alice Sulak

by Jerry Haisler SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton

Comments delivered by Jerry Haisler at the funeral service of Alice Sulak on June 25, 2022. Sister Alice was a 52-year member of Lodge 47, Seaton.

How do you sum up in a few minutes a long life lived well? How does the Alice Sulak story start? We know she’s a well-known Czech vocalist and musician; in fact one of a few female Czech vocalists in Texas. How did that come to be?

In 1923, Alice’s parents, Tom and Tracy, constructed Tom Sefcik Hall with a bar on the first floor and the dance hall upstairs. The hall was their first home with a house built shortly thereafter. This property was a pretty self-contained community: a tavern, a general store, a lumber yard, repair shop, a black smith shop, a barber shop, a baseball field, and of course, the second story hall and dance floor. Sefcik Hall was a “rite of passage” for many . . . that is where you could get your first beer, even if you weren’t quite of age yet! Alice grew up working at the Hall, and in 1970, she took over the operation.

Alice’s father played the guitar and her mother played the accordion. So, no surprise that in the 1940s, at about age 11, Alice began playing in her older sister’s band called Adela and the Music Masters. Adela played accordion while Alice first played drums and then picked up tenor saxophone. A very young Julius Dubcak on trumpet and Jerry Adamek on guitar rounded out the band. And by the way, Alice also plays accordion, piano, and keyboard.

How did Alice and I get connected? In the early 1960s when I was about 12, I started playing music with Alice along with my dad, Bob Haisler; Louis and Ladis Vrazel; and L.J. Motl. I joke that then I was shorter than Alice . . . there are pictures floating around proving that fact. We played in the added on flatroofed building to the north of the Hall on Sunday afternoons. After two to three years, we graduated to play upstairs in the Hall, again with various musicians at that time: Alice, my dad, Joe Barta, Ed Sodek, Skinny Lowery, and me. I guess we were an unofficial house band for Sefcik Hall.

Wow, what a learning experience for a kid like me. I remember the first time I heard Alice sing and play. I was truly in awe (especially when she played the drums, sax, and sang . . . all at the same time!) Her voice was pure and clear. If it was a Czech song, there was perfect articulation and inflection of the Czech words. If was a country tune, it was right on pitch with a hint of her Czech accent. What a pleasant and pleasing voice she had. She had her own touch when she added an “Ale Jo” or other Czech phrase of exclamation or joy and on a country song, she’d occasionally throw in an “Oh, baby!”

For some reason, two songs stick out in my mind in those early days when I was just learning. One was a Hank Locklin tune: “Please help me I’m falling in love with you, close the door to temptation, don’t let me walk through.” Her voice was clear, pure . . . singing from her heart. And then I heard this!

“Get out that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans; I said, shake, rattle, and roll, I said, shake, rattle, and roll, Well, you’ll never do nothin’, To save your doggone soul!” So she proved she was not only versatile, but contemporary and could pull off a Bill Haley and the Comets song!

Alice’s sax playing was very distinctive; she had a tone that was easily recognizable as Alice Sulak. If you’re not a musician, you may not understand this. Typically, guitars play in sharps; horns in flats, but Alice could play very well in any key as well as hit all the high notes, which is not usual for most self-taught brass or horn players.

In the fall of 1966, Otis Beck, Alice, my dad, Walter “Pop” Arnold, Bill Barr, and 15-year-old me formed the band Otis Beck and the Melody 5. In 1971, I became band manager, and the name changed to Jerry Haisler and the Melody 5. For many, many years, my wife Helen, my young son Mark, my mom and dad, Alice, and I rode together traveling to dances. I spent probably 40 weekends every year with Alice, playing music one to three nights a weekend at all the local halls in the Temple/Waco/West/Austin area. Alice and I played together for almost 50 years! Alice continued playing with the Melody 5 until around 2014 when her failing health would no longer allow her to do that.

Alice exemplifies the contributions of “special women,” because she did it all! She was a well-seasoned instrumentalist, vocalist, and owner-manager of a historic and iconic Texas dance hall. She was also a bartender and probably counselor/therapist after her patrons had a few brews. Oh, I almost forgot – Alice also was a gardener, farmer, sometime carpenter, and at one time, she raised livestock, so she was a cattle wrangler, too!

Despite her modest size, she often in the olden days at the Hall, became a fearsome bouncer. Don’t know if this quote is true, but it’s attributed to her by several sources. When someone was using bad language at the Hall, she supposedly said something like, “Let me tell you right now, this is a ‘blankety blank’ family place, and we don’t have no ‘blankety blank’ cussing here.” There was the broom that she occasionally chased rowdy patrons with, and a metal pitcher that has a big dent in it where she popped someone on the head. She has been described as sweet Alice, but could set you straight if you crossed her. She ran a tight ship, had rules, and you didn’t want to get on her bad side.

Alice managed all of this, while raising her three sons as a single mom, which I have to think was pretty hard. I remember sons Tommie and Steven and friends running around the parking lot of the Hall, with youngest son Kenny trying to catch up, screaming and crying (and using some adult language in English or Czech). They were rough and tumble country boys and probably all were a handful! However, as a result of her good “mothering,” they all turned out great! Of all the things she represents, I think she was best at being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She greatly loved her family and freely shared stories about them and talked about how proud she was of them.

All of this said, Alice was even a better business woman, before being a business woman was a popular thing. Like her father, she booked acts at the Hall that would bring in the crowds. That included polka bands from Texas and the mid-west. Wisely, she welcomed out of the ordinary bands like Brave Combo; Austin bands with a hippie vibe like Greezy Wheels and the Baby Cakes. And there was the legendary annual Christmas shows with rock and roller David Zychek. She supported country bands, like Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters, Gene Morgan, Roy Robbins, and the Gentry’s. Even Johnny Rodriguez and Asleep at the Wheel played at the Hall. In the 1950s, the Vrazels’ Polka Band was just starting and played at Sefcik Hall often. And there were other local bands like the Melody 5, the Fabulous 6, Jody Jay, Charles Mikeska and the Sensations (a group of talented teenagers), the Praha Brothers, and many others. Alice gave new bands and start-up musicians a place to play. She tutored and mentored people like me and Charles Mikeska and probably many others I don’t know about.

Among her many accomplishments, Alice was recognized by Texas Dance Hall Preservation as the longest running female dance hall owner and manager in Texas history. She was honored by the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in 2017 and by the International Polka Association in 2019. Likewise, she has been recognized by the City of Temple, Bell County, and has several Congressional proclamations. There have been countless interviews, newspaper and magazine articles, and short video documentaries about Alice and Sefcik Hall. I might note Tom Sefcik Hall will be 100 years old in 2023 and has continuously been in operation all of those years with regular Sunday dances every week.

In spite of all that Alice has done, although she was proud, she was not boastful. In my opinion, she let her work and her music speak for itself. That was obvious to me as people were attracted to her. Many have talent, but there is maybe 1 in 1,000 that has what I would call “charisma.” No question, she was that 1 in 1,000. People enjoyed her music, but more so, they wanted to be around her. Alice had an engaging and friendly style about her. She was easy to talk to and always was happy to visit with you. Over the years and when she no longer traveled with the band, no matter where we went, people asked about Alice. I often heard people comment, “Wow, she is good, and boy she can blow that sax and sing.” She seemed like a friend to all. She was one of a kind. Alice was always genuine, being herself, no matter the circumstances; she was always the same Alice. She didn’t change just to please someone or to be popular.

I can’t finish without noting some of her sayings or commentaries you may have heard. There are many, but I will note just a couple: “Well that’s just stupid;” “I don’t know why they wanna act that way;” “Well I tell you one thing, they better not think they can get away with that here.”

She was my musical companion and friend. She had a great love of people, particularly those important to her, and a caring attitude toward her friends. I’ll give you a personal example. When I had my cancer surgery in 2010, I was very ill for a long time. Alice was so very worried about me even when she had her own serious health issues. She would call often, and I would ask her how she was and she would say, “I’m okay, hanging in there, but how are you? Are you ok? Are you feeling better?” These phone calls always ended with “Well take care, I love you,” and I’d say, “Alice, you take care, and I love you, too.” Then she said, “Well, take care,” and I’d say, “Goodbye” and then she’d say . . . “Well, okay . . . now, you take care.” This went back and forth . . . I finally figured out she had to have the last word!

After she was not able to play in the band due to her health, I’m blessed that I got to visit with her often and help with events recognizing her. I saw her the first part of June 2022, at Cornerstone Gardens Care Center, where I was playing music for the residents. She sang a couple of songs with me and sounded just like Alice and even added an “Ale Jo” or two! We had a nice visit for about 20 minutes. She complained about her voice being scratchy as she always did the last year or two, and she always talked about “I wish I could blow that horn; I’d give anything . . . but you know I don’t have some of my zuby (teeth)!” We always laughed about that. I got to say my goodbyes to her on the afternoon of June 20 –about two hours before she passed.

She was loved by many. I know you all have stories to tell of your own, and I hope you will keep her in your memories. Some have commented on Facebook and in conversations that she’s a legend, a rock star, an icon . . . I’m down for all of that! I don’t know if there is a right label. I do know she has left a legacy that enriches us all. Through her accomplishments, and the way she lived her life, she represents a generation of great people that we are lucky to have touched our lives.

So one more time Alice, and this time I get to have the last word . . . “I love you, rest in peace, my dear friend.” —SPJST—