Emilka DeVries

EMILKA "BIBS" CUHEL STOOPS DE VRIES

Cedar Rapids

Emilka "Bibs" De Vries, nee Cuhel, originally of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, expired comfortably from natural causes at 97 years of age on May 23, 2015, in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lived at home until age 96, and then was lovingly supported at the Optimum Care Home in her most recent hometown.

She is survived by her nephew, Russell L. Cuhel, and his wife, Carmen Aguilar, of Milwaukee, Wis.

Bibs led a life of life experiences. She was an active gymnast in the Sokol Society in Cedar Rapids, graduated from high school and obtained an A.A. degree in accounting. Bibs was the first female accountant at United Airlines after World War II. She married Dewey Stoops and lived in Portola Valley near San Francisco, Calif., where archery was a major hobby. Shortly after his passing, she moved to Hollywood, Calif., where her fraternal twin brother, Emil, was a freelance photographer. He was the closest person to her for their entire lives. She was the accountant for several advertising firms, notably the Selig J. Smith Co., and with her brother, was deeply involved in the underworld art community of Hollywood during its Golden Age of 1950-1970.

Bibs was an avid painter and sculptor, specializing in impressionist or abstract views of human subjects and trees. She made friends easily, but had high standards in long-term relationships. She loved light jazz music and "the crooners," and hosted many elegant cocktail parties in her North Hollywood home. Her cat Impy was a mainstay of her Hollywood life and the only pet she had as an adult. She also enjoyed frequent coastal sailing with a special friend in Marina Del Rey.

Emilka developed a love of fast cars, owned them and drove them as they deserved. She followed her brother's relocations to northern California, Washington state, Oregon, and back to the Santa Rosa area.

Emilka traveled widely with her nephew on many occasions, and with him and her brother, Emil, visited the ancestral family in Czechoslovakia in 1978. She spoke Czech fluently and communicated with Czech relatives regularly.

Bibs liked to go swimming every day. She married Louis De Vries and bought a trailer home in Santa Rosa. After their divorce and his passing, she remained in her home until early 2014.

She continued painting, crocheting and gardening until her last days. Her friends have said that she was a pioneer for women in so many ways, and that she inspired others to pursue enriching hobbies and maintain personal self-esteem.

Bibs wanted no services, and her ashes will honor her sailing history and her nephew's career in marine biology by being spread in the Pacific Ocean off Marina Del Rey.

Remembrances may be made in her name to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids.