John Jarzynka

John G. Jarzynka, 89, of St. Paul, died Sunday, May 29, 2022, at the Howard County Medical Center in St. Paul.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Libory’s Catholic Church in St. Libory. The Revs. Sidney Bruggeman and Vince Parsons will concelebrate the Mass. Burial will be in St. Wenceslaus Catholic Cemetery, west of St. Paul. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post 108 of Ashton and the U.S. Army Funeral Honors Team.

Visitation will be Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church, with a 7 p.m. Rosary.

Memorials are suggested to the family for later designation.

Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is assisting the family.

John was born on Feb. 9, 1933, on a farm near Paplin, the son of John L. and Domicella M. (Dymek) Jarzynka. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel parochial school. When John was 8 years old the family moved by horse and wagon to a farm near Hazard. He then attended Hazard Public School until its closing his junior year of high School. He was a 1951 graduate of Rockville High School. After graduation he worked at the Ravenna Egg Plant and the Cornhusker Army Ammunitions Plant in Grand Island.

He served in the United States Army from April 30, 1953 to April 29, 1955. He then returned to Central Nebraska and worked for Burlington Northern Railroad.

He was united in marriage to Shirley Ann Safarik on May 2, 1961, at St. Paul. The couple lived in St. Paul where he worked for the City of St. Paul. He later went to work for George Zlomke as a flooring installer. John boasted that he was in every house installing flooring from St. Paul to Greeley. He later became co-owner of Zlomke Furniture, working until his retirement in 1993. He then started Heartland Installers with his former son-in-law, Greg Statler. He retired again at the age of 80 years old, but would still install flooring by special request for several more years.

Shirley passed away on March 29, 2017, and he continued to live in his home until earlier this year.

He was a 60 plus year member of American Legion Post 108 of Ashton. He was also a longtime member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul and became a member of St. Libory’s Catholic Church in later years.

John loved polka music and was an avid polka dancer. He enjoyed showing and driving his ’65 Plymouth Satellite car, traveling to all 50 States and Alaska and Hawaii twice, but his two favorite destinations were Estes Park, CO and the Nebraska Sandhills.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staffs of Brookefield Park and Howard County Medical Center for their excellent care.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Lurleen and Dan Layman of St. Libory; grandchildren, Dr. Brittney Statler and Reid Berryman of Windsor, CO, Alicia and Briar Templin of Bruning, Matt Simons of Grand Island, Nathaniel Layman of Bellevue and Drake Layman of St. Libory; great-granddaughter, Parker Templin of Bruning; sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Laverne Schall of Kearney; sister-in-law, Dorothy Jarzynka of Euless, TX; sisters-in-law and spouses, Betty and Gilbert Spilger of Grand Island and Noreen and Jim Malone of Lincoln; and brother-in-law and spouse, Rick and Elaine Safarik of Farwell.

In addition to his wife Shirley, he was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Joe Jarzynka and Jake Jarzynka; sister, Jean Douglas; former brother-in-law, John Douglas; and his in-laws, Wilfred and Isabelle Safarik.