Sladek, Mildred A.

Mildred A. Sladek, 89, of Cedar Rapids, went home to Jesus, at Mercy Medical Center, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. Services: 2 p.m. Sunday at Spirit of Faith Family Church, 4070 – 22nd Avenue SW, by Pastor Jay Eberly. Interment: Czech National Cemetery. A visitation will be at Cedar Memorial Westside Chapel, Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. and after 1:30 p.m. at the church on Sunday.

Survivors include daughter, Margo Hidinger of Phoenix, Ariz; son, Frank (Carolyn Helscher) Sladek Jr. of Cedar Rapids; sisters, Bernice Smith of Dyersville and Geraldine Easker of Garland, Texas; sister-in-law, Stella Mae Easker of Mount Vernon; grandchildren, Chip (Caren) Hidinger, T.J. Hidinger, Heather (Josh) Sherman, Emy (Thomas) Porter, Joshua, Jennifer, and Jonathan Sladek; and six great grandchildren.

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

Mildred was born on March 17, 1920, in Cedar Rapids to Charles and Emilia Easker. She was a graduate of Wilson High School and St. Luke's School of Nursing.

Mildred attended advanced orthopedic training in New York City and during WWII married her childhood sweetheart, Frank Sladek of Ely in Abilene, Texas. She continued nursing in Texas to be close to her husband while he was an officer at Camp Swift. After his return from overseas, the couple moved to Ely to run “Farmer's Store” and raise their two children. A move to the Iowa City/Coralville area in 1967 resulted in Mildred's return to nursing, first at Crestview Nursing Home in West Branch, then the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, where she retired in 1986 after many years as the head “night-charge-nurse”. In Iowa City, she was a member of Grace Fellowship Church.

During her child rearing years in Ely, she was a homemaker, huge supporter of 4-H, a Cub Scout Den Mother, and a Sunday school Teacher at St. John's Lutheran Church. Frank went home to Jesus in her care, at home after 53 years of marriage in 1996. Soon after, she moved back to Cedar Rapids.

She lived with her son's family in Cedar Rapids from 1996 to 2009. She dearly loved her church, Spirit of Faith Family Church. She and her sisters, Bernice and Geraldine, spent the next 13 years enjoying each other's company and that of Cedar Rapids friends.

In 2008, she was displaced to Arizona to live with her daughter for nine months while her son's family, extended family, church members, Scouts, and volunteers helped to rebuild her flooded home. She returned with tears of gladness to a rebuilt home in March, 2009. She was thrilled to meet many of the volunteers in June at an open house. She reveled in the restored warmth of the wood structure for the remaining months of her life.

She will be remembered as a compassionate mother and grandmother and her greatest happiness was that her children and grandchildren all know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Her favorite bible verse was – John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Memorials may be directed to the family.

Online condolences may be directed to