Mr. Leonard R. Vlach

Leonard R. Vlach, 91, of Cotesfield died Monday, April 7, 2008 at his home near Cotesfield.



Services will be held 10:30 a.m., Saturday at Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul. The Reverend Martha Voigt will officiate. Interment will be in the Cotesfield Cemetery in Cotesfield with military honors at graveside by the Reuben Beck American Legion Post #150 of Scotia. Visitation will be held on Friday, from 4 - 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the Cotesfield United Methodist Church, Elba Rescue Unit or the Howard Greeley Food Pantry.



Mr. Vlach was born June 5, 1916 on the family farm near Cotesfield to George and Lucy (Tuma) Vlach. He was raised on the family farm which was established by his grandparents, Linhart and Barbara (Kruml) Vlach about 1882.



Leonard attended and graduated from Cotesfield Public School in 1934.



In 1941, he entered the U.S. Army. After spending 15 months in occupied France and then Germany, he was honorably discharged in February 1946. It was in the Army that he learned to cook and these skills he practiced his entire life.



After the war, he returned to Cotesfield and the family farm.



On June 8, 1947 he married Ramona Jean Meyer at the Fishcreek Methodist Church, east of Scotia. The couple farmed near Cotesfield.



Leonard was an active member of the Cotesfield Methodist Church. After retiring from farming he raised and dressed chickens, planted a big garden, he was especially fond of petunias and became well known for his homemade kolaches which he generously shared. Leonard was extremely proud of his Bohemian heritage. He was honored to receive the KOLN-KGIN Sunshine Award, the Ak-Sar-Ben Good Neighbor Award and the rand of Admiral in the Great Navy of Nebraska.



Leonard was a member of the Reuben Beck American Legion Post #150 of Scotia and the Loup Valley WFLA Lodge #437.



Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Patti Vlach of Carlsbad, CA; two daughters and sons-in-law, Susanne and Douglas Milbourn of Columbus, NE and Carmen and Rodney Ostrander of Ord; a brother and sister-in-law, Millard and Peggy Vlach of Scotia; a sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn and Albert Ingerle of Elba; a sister-in-law, Eleanor Moravec of Cotesfield; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many kind and caring friends and neighbors. Helle Warming of Denmark became a part of the family while spending a year with the Vlachs as a foreign exchange student.



He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Ramona on September 12, 1998; two brothers, George R and John Vlach; and two sisters, Lucille Jackson and Lillian Vlach.