Martha M. Havlik

Martha M. Havlik, 92, of Saint Paul died on April 20, 2020, at Brookefield Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Saint Paul, NE. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place at this time, private family interment will be at the Elmwood Cemetery in Saint Paul. A Memorial Mass to celebrate her life will take place at a later date. Memorials are suggested to Saints Peter & Paul Parish Life Center in Saint Paul or to the donor’s choice. Peters Funeral Home is assisting the family. Miss Havlik was born August 1, 1927, in Ord, Nebraska to Ladislav and Louise (Jirka) Havlik. Miss Havlik was born and spent her early years in Ord, before moving with her family to Saint Paul. She graduated from Saint Paul High School in 1944. She attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and Washington University in Saint Louis, MO. She graduated from Washington University School of Medicine with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1949. Martha worked at Creighton University’s Saint Joseph’s Hospital teaching nursing arts. Subsequently she worked as head nurse followed by assistant chief of nursing service at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Grand Island from the time that the VA Hospital was built in 1950 until 1961. At that time she returned to Saint Paul to assist with the family meat and grocery business and to care for her sister, Marie, who suffered from cancer. One by one, she assisted with the medical care of multiple family members with serious illnesses. Over time, she was the essential care-giver for her mother, three sisters and two brothers. The grocery business was sold in 1969, but Miss Havlik continued to own and manage Havlik’s Locker in Saint Paul until her retirement in 1993. Miss Havlik was a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church where she served in the choir and as Eucharistic minister. She was a member of DCCW, Chapter AP PEO, and American Legion Auxiliary. She was a member of Catholic Daughters Sacred Heart Court 2015 serving as First Regent and the Nebraska State Court of Catholic Daughters serving as State Treasurer. Martha was a member of the Nebraska Nursing Association and the American Nursing Association. She served on the Howard County Community Hospital Board for twenty years and was chairman of the Howard County Red Cross for five years. Additionally she was appointed an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska in 1983. Martha loved her family deeply and was a faithful, loyal and sincere friend. She always enjoyed sharing her time with her family and her friends. She loved people and was a vibrant resident of the Brookefield Park community since 2014. Martha had macular degeneration for years but had a keen sense of hearing and recognized most of her friends by their voice. At Brookefield Park she visited, encouraged and often prayed with other residents and staff. Until her death, she remained involved in her organizations, kept up on current events and exercised daily. She frequently gave advice to friends and family on how to improve their health and how to enhance their relationship with God. Martha was an avid supporter of her family and their pursuits, especially her great-nieces as violinists and their orchestra programs. Her hobbies included cooking, music and tending her flowers and garden. She enjoyed travel and made several overseas trips, including trips to Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic to visit her extended family, whom she loved dearly. She spoke Czech and remained fluent all of her life. Most of all, Martha loved her Lord and her church. She had a deep faith that sustained her until she was able to join the rest of her family in heaven. It was her faith and God’s love that she lived and shared every day. Miss Havlik is survived by her brother-in-law, John Shoemaker of St. Paul; and her nephew and his wife, Steve and Zelda Shoemaker of Grand Island. Additionally, she is survived by her niece’s husband, Daniel Bradley of Renton, WA; two great-nieces, Lindsey (Niels) Meewis of Montrose, CO, and Dr. Lauren Shoemaker of Omaha; and one great-nephew, Samuel (Ashley) Bradley of Everett, WA. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Charles Havlik and Otto Havlik; and her sisters, Marie Havlik, Lydia Havlik and Georgine Shoemaker; her niece, Kay Bradley; and great-nephew, Nicholas Bradley.