The common bond spoken of frequently in the recent funerals of Henry Schlitzkus and Viola Kapalski was that of FAMILY. Sure, there are many other similarities to boast about this unforgettable pair: their German heritage (which I share on my mother's side of my own family), their mutual beginning of their lives in neighboring Fort Bend County, the fact that both loved a good party, and they each were lucky to live long, eventful lives. But this past week the deaths of Henry and Viola left huge holes in the respective family structures of the Schlitzkus's and the Kapalski's, and took away two wonderful human beings that I thought so highly of.
I've known both of these West Columbia-area residents for a long time but did not know, until reading their obituaries in the local newspapers, that Henry Schlitzkus (pictured above with his wife Bettie) was called "Slick" by his friends, or that everyone in Viola Kapalski's large family referred to her as "Nana." They were simply Henry and Mrs. Kapalski to me. But they are both the type of people one wishes they knew better and, to put it bluntly, could be more like. For a pair of better role models in life, you need not look any further than these two.
I sat among the large congregation of mourners at Henry's funeral at the Baker Funeral Home chapel in West Columbia this past Saturday, and attended the funeral mass at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in West Columbia for Viola today (July 27, 2009). The sendoffs for these two longtime area residents, both the parents and grandparents of many people I have considered dear friends for many, many years, were both memorable and oh, so touching. I was deeply moved by the 21-gun salute, the playing of "Taps" by a bugler, and the Masonic rites delivered for Henry Joe Schlitzkus Saturday afternoon at the same historic Columbia Cemetery where many of my own ancestors are buried (and where my wife and I will one day be laid to rest alongside my father and mother). And I have never before heard more appropriate words spoken at a funeral than those delivered earlier today by Viola Kapalski's daughter when she stood before the packed church and told everyone what a special mother she and her brother and sisters had been blessed with.
I started first grade in 1963 with Charles Kapalski and the two of us graduated from Columbia High School together with the Class of 1975. Charles, better known to his family and friends as "Boogie," and I have been friends for 46 years. Henry Schlitzkus's son, Henry Joe Jr., was in school with me for the majority of the time he and I attended school in West Columbia, but Henry Joe was always a couple grades ahead of me. Boogie and Henry Joe were the only boys in both of their families, and each was blessed with older sisters to help keep them in line. All the Kapalski and Schlitzkus girls, as well as their brothers and extended family members, are in my thoughts and prayers today as I commiserate with each of them in their time of great loss, grief and sorrow.
The Reverend James W. Gentner, pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church in East Columbia, spoke Saturday of Henry Schlitzkus's obligatory habit of asking his church's congregation each and every Sunday to pray for someone Henry knew was in need of their prayers at that particular time, adding that Henry always included our country's soldiers fighting wars abroad in his prayer requests. Jim Gentner said that Henry never forgot about his fellow farmers and ranchers when they were all sorely in need of rain for their crops and livestock. He mentioned one particular Sunday morning when Henry had prayed for rain, leading Reverend Gentner to assume Henry must have had a special hotline to "the big guy" because the following week it rained, and rained, and rained, and rained some more . . . until 13 inches of rain had fallen on the West Columbia area. Jim Gentner said that the following Sunday Henry had the church members in stitches when he remarked, "Okay God, I think that's enough now!"
I sat beside Henry Schlitzkus at Bethel Presbyterian Church one Sunday service several years ago and he told me that he had joined the Army with my mother's brother, Howard Giesler, when the Korean War was going on. That particular Sunday a loud rainstorm hit the East Columbia area while we were all inside the church (which Jim Gentner said at Henry's graveside service Saturday is the fifth oldest church in the state of Texas) and I thought Henry was going to have a heart attack right there beside me in the pew when a loud crack of thunder erupted above us. He apologized to me for the manner that he had nearly jumped out of his skin, but leaned over and whispered in my ear that ever since he came home from Korea loud noises still shook him down to his toenails. My Uncle Howard has told me the same things about his tour of duty in Korea, so I simply patted Henry on the knee that day and said it was quite alright. And that was one Sunday when the heavens had seen fit to drench our little town with rainfall before Henry Schlitzkus could ask the Bethel Presbyterian congregation to pray for rain.
My strongest memories of Mrs. Kapalski involve my mother and/or father taking my brother and sister and I to buy fireworks from the Kapalski's fireworks stand on the outskirts of West Columbia (they lived on the Brazoria highway just beyond the city limits sign). Each Fourth of July or New Year's Day were holidays when the Gupton kids could light firecrackers and run around the house with sparklers in our hands. We would shoot off bottle rockets and Roman candles and other fireworks usually purchased from Boogie's parents' fireworks stand. Viola's husband Jake Kapalski was a good friend of my father's and I hope that Boogie's mom is now reuniting with her husband Jake, her parents Charlie and Emma Kettler, her grandson Jesse Justin Danford, my mom and dad, and Henry Schlitzkus and his parents, John and Annie Schlitzkus, for a really big party to celebrate the arrival in Heaven of both Viola and Henry.
Jim Gentner said at Saturday's funeral service that Bettie Schlitzkus told him when her husband's time on earth was nearly over she asked him of all the things they had done together in their nearly 59 years of marriage what did he like the best. Reverend Gentner said it was no surprise to Bettie or to anyone else who knew Henry well that his response was one simple word . . . "church." That is yet one more common thread that bonds these two wonderful people in my life that I had to say farewell to this past week. Henry and Bettie had been faithful members of Bethel Presbyterian Church in East Columbia since 1954. Henry was a deacon and an elder in his church and they both sang in the church choir for many, many years. Viola and Jake Kapalski were charter members of St. John's Catholic Church in West Columbia, and were both instrumental in starting Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Sweeny prior to the construction of St. John's. Their mutual faith in the Lord Jesus and lifelong commitments to their respective area churches were among the most honorable and worthy aspects of these two great individuals' makeup.
But, for me personally, what I will never forget about Henry Schlitzkus and Viola Kapalski is what I saw and took to heart simply by knowing them for the majority of my life and by attending their respective funerals on Saturday and earlier today. That is the structure of their families, their lifelong service to their fellow residents, and the sheer strength of those two families. That is what means the most to me as an individual. My children are everything in my life and that obviously was the case with Henry and Viola. Their two families are both large and each consists of many members of strong character. That was never more obvious than today for Viola and Saturday for Henry when so many people showed up for their respective funerals. Many people attended who hardly knew the deceased, yet took the time and made the effort to show their respects with their attendance and kind, comforting words because of how much they care for the extended members of the two families. And the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these two are each a reflection of Henry and Viola. They all come from really good stock!
Henry Schlitzkus was born February 10, 1930, in Rosenberg, Texas, to John and Annie Schlitzkus and graduated from West Columbia High School in 1949. He worked for Dow Chemical for 41 years and nine months. He was 79 at the time of his death on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. He was raised on a farm between West Columbia and Damon, where he lived until his recent death.
Viola Ida Kettler Kapalski was 89 at the time of her passing on Thursday, July 23, 2009. She was born on April 18, 1920, in Needville, Texas, to Charlie and Emma Kettler in the family home.
The recently departed Henry Schlitzkus is pictured below with his wife of 59 years Bettie and his daughter Patty and Patty's husband Charles Seiler. Viola Kapalski's son Charles is also married to a Patty. Charles Seiler spoke at his father-in-law's funeral Saturday and Patty Kapalski read a very touching poem that she had written especially for her mother-in-law at Nana's Monday morning funeral mass.
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