LUCIEL ROSE STANEK

Born at home in 1918in Montgomery, Minnesota, Luciel’s parents were Mary (Choudek) Stanek and FrankStanek.  Both were ofCzechoslovakian descent.  Luciel hadone brother, Stanley, who passed away at age 28 of a brain tumor.  Her father, born in 1885, died in 1966at the age of 81, possibly of cancer. Her mother, born in 1888, died at age 74 in 1986 of a heart condition.

During her youngerschool years, Luciel was a Camp Fire Girl.  While attending Montgomery High School, she played guard onthe girls’ basketball team for all four years, was a cheerleader and was goodin declamation/speech.

She attended  St. Joseph’s Hospital-St. Catherine’sCollege School of Nursing, graduating with an R.N. degree in 1940.  Luciel became a Red Cross nurse andjoined the Civil Service which sent her to Hines Veteran’s AdministrationHospital in Chicago.  A proposal byGeorge lured her back to Minnesota where she worked at Anchor Hospital in St.Paul until they married.  Aftermarriage, Luciel did not work regularly, as was the custom of the time.  However, while George served in themilitary overseas, she worked part-time at the Green Giant Company inMontgomery as plant nurse.  Also,after George retired, Luciel was part-time charge nurse at the Le Sueur ValleyHealth Center.

George and Luciel hadthree children: Mary Lucille, David George and Margaret (Peggy) Ann.

Luciel’s favoritepast-times were golf, Bridge, world travel, and daily coffee with friends.  One of her greatest accomplishments wasmaking a Hole-in-One at the Le Sueur Country Club (see signed and witnessedscore card).  She was also known asthe “knitting lady” because of the many, many mittens she knitted for schoolsin Le Sueur and in the Twin Cities.

From her owndictation, Luciel gave some glimpses into her past:

• She had the much hated nickname ofLouska, which she was called when she sucked her thumb.  Apparently she had this habit until shewas quite old.  Because she was so ashamed,she would hide behind the dining room door so she could suck her thumb withoutanyone seeing her.  Her mothertried to cure her habit by wrapping chicken manure around her thumb.

• Luciel had red hair which her motherdidn’t like.  When she was young, hermother would take black stove polish and color it so it would look black ratherthan red.

• OneChristmas Eve the moon was full and bright and I saw Santa and hissleigh flying across the moon. This was looking out my bedroom window.  I can still see it today.

• Luciel’s parents drove a Maxwellcar.  My friends and I would push it out of the garage at night and out ofthe alley and go for a ride around town.

• Her mother always kept the house very clean. 

• Her father was always making orbuilding something.  (He was acarpenter by trade.)

• Luciel’s father came to the UnitedStates from Czechoslovakia as a small boy.  His only memory of the crossing by ship was that his fatherbought him a new cap to wear on the trip. While enroute, the cap blew off into the ocean and he was very saddenedby this.

• When Luciel was two or three years old,her family moved to a farm.  Herfather needed help so he and his wife wrote to an orphanage, asking for a Czechboy.  (At that time there was noformal adoption.  A person onlyneeded to ask for a child and was given one without it being legal.)  Instead of a Czech boy, they were givena 12-year-old Polish boy, Tony Chubik. After his arrival, the family didn’t stay on the farm long before movingback to Montgomery.  Sometimeafter, one of Tony’s sisters located him and moved him to Duluth to be withher.  Tony kept in touch with theStanek family until his death.

Luciel’s memories of early love:

• Marriage proposal by George:  The two of them were sitting in the carin front of her parents’ house when they had an argument.  George said, “Well, how do you thinkwe’re ever going to get married if we’re going to argue?”