Cilek, Erma May

Erma May Cilek, 74, died Saturday, May 1, 2010, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, Hiawatha. Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, at Brosh Chapel in Cedar Rapids, located at 2121 Bowling St. SW, with the Rev. W. Bramwell Harnish presiding. Burial will be in Czech National Cemetery. A luncheon will be served following the burial in The Avacentre at Brosh Chapel. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Brosh Chapel in Cedar Rapids.

Erma is survived by her husband, Richard “Dick”; her children, Dianne (Greg) Neal of Des Moines, Susan (Marty) Seebeck of Des Moines, Janet (Brett) Brubaker of Indianola and James Cilek of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Rochelle, Allisen and Samantha Neal, Jason (Tiffany) Seebeck, Charles and Clayton Brubaker, Alan and Moya Cilek; great- grandchildren, Domnik Neal and Landon Seebeck; and a brother, Ernest (Joyce) Ludvicek of Cedar Rapids.

Erma was born April 19, 1936, the daughter of Benjamin and Mabel Kilberger Ludvicek in Swisher. They lived in the country by Swisher where she attended a country school. The family moved to Cedar Rapids and she attended Wilson High School.

She started working at St. Luke's Hospital as a secretary and eventually met Richard. They both enjoy music and dancing and they would often go to dance halls such as Armar Ballroom. They married in 1956 and in ‘58, had their first child, Dianne. Then along came Susan in ‘60 and Erma decided to be a full-time homemaker.

She had two more children, Janet and James, and devoted all her time she could to all of them. She loved to sew and knit. She would make dresses for the girls, which were all alike. She also would make doll clothes as well. She would say she would get tired of cooking and baking, but she would make the best crème puffs and baked apples. She would know when something she made was good because it wasn't around long. She would love those Friday nights after a long week when the kids would all gather in the kitchen and make pizzas.

As the kids grew older and had graduation parties and weddings and she became an empty nester, she enjoyed her privacy, but she enjoyed those family times more. She loved the music and watching people dance at Jason's wedding reception. She loved Sam's BBQ at Allisen's parties, and the times she went over to Janet's for a get-together and play a few rounds of 31. She loved camping on weekends with Dick and the kids.

She devoted her life to her family, always putting others first. She never wanted her limitations with MS to burden others.

Life won't be the same without her and it will be difficult to see Dad without Mom.

Memorials may be directed to the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy.

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