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Henry Joseph Koukal

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Henry Joseph Koukal

Birth	:	20 Oct 1909 Plattsmouth, Cass County, Nebraska, USA
Death	:	16 Jan 2006 Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
Burial	:	Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.0122660, -95.9128240
Plot	:	Sec 1
Description	:	The following Bio was graciously provided by Emily Horton from Family Search: Henry was the second of twins born to his mother in 1909. He was baptized in St. John's Catholic Church in Plattsmouth. When he was two, his mother died, leaving him to grow up on the farm with his father, two sisters (who left the home in 1915), and a couple brothers (until they eventually left home). He attended Stull School, a one-room country school near the farm, through 4th grade. It was here he learned to speak English, as Czech was spoken at home. He... Read More	The following Bio was graciously provided by Emily Horton from Family Search: Henry was the second of twins born to his mother in 1909. He was baptized in St. John's Catholic Church in Plattsmouth. When he was two, his mother died, leaving him to grow up on the farm with his father, two sisters (who left the home in 1915), and a couple brothers (until they eventually left home). He attended Stull School, a one-room country school near the farm, through 4th grade. It was here he learned to speak English, as Czech was spoken at home. He spent 5th and 6th grades at St. John's Catholic school. He later graduated from Plattsmouth High School. A few weeks before his graduation in 1927, his father died. The summer after high school, he lived with his brothers, Louis and Gus, in Omaha. He sold magazines door-to-door temporarily, then got a job in the clothing section at Philips department store for about six months. He moved in with his brother, Ray, for a period of time, while he worked as a stenographer for a car dealer. In 1928, Henry was living in Omaha with his twin sister, Henrietta, and was working as the manager of the Welch Restaurant Company. In 1929, he was employed as a clerk at the International Harvester Co. then at the Union Pacific Railroad for two years. In 1930, at the age of 21, Henry married (at the courthouse in Blair, Nebr.) Charlotte Thompson. Soon afterward he took a job at Interstate Transit Lines, a bus subsidiary of the railroad, where he started as a secretary and ended up as office manager 5 years later. He then worked a few months as a stenographer/biller for the Ford Motor Company in Omaha, before beginning what turned out to be a 36-year career with the Rock Island Lines. He started with the Rock Island railroad as Chief Clerk to the General Agent (the top man in the local passenger department) in Omaha, when he was almost 29. He spent about 3 years as the City Passenger Agent in Lincoln, about 2 years as the District Passenger Agent in Colorado Springs, Col., and about 3 years in the same position in Washington, D.C. Then, in Minneapolis, he became the General Agent, the position he had first clerked for 10 years earlier in Omaha, and one he never imagined he would have. After 8 years in Minneapolis, which seemed like the end of his advancement because he usually spent just 2 to 3 years at a spot, he was moved to the same position in Washington, D.C. Two years later, however, he was moved to Chicago and promoted to Assistant General Passenger Agent. And about 3 years after that, he was made General Passenger Agent (later called Passenger Traffic Manager), the top man in the whole Rock Island Lines passenger department (supervising 200 salesmen); the one whose signature appears on all of the train tickets; the one who adjusted the train schedule from Joliet to Chicago so that an electric company employee could get to work on time. Finally, he could settle down, and so (at the age of 54, with his children grown and gone) he bought his first home. There he started gardening (and making pickles), because, he says, "I just like to grow things." By 1963, more people were driving cars than riding the trains and so the Passenger Department of the Rock Island Lines was closing down. Again, Henry thought it meant the end of his career. Instead, he was made Freight Traffic Manager (western end freight sales) and then General Sales Manager (nationwide freight sales). When he retired in 1974 (at the age of 65), a cocktail party of about 100 people was given for him at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago. After that he enjoyed not working and played golf 5 days a week (often breaking 100) and bowled once a week. Ten years later, in 1984, he had a stroke, which affected his ability to control his right hand (still can't hand- or typewrite)-but that didn't stop him from golfing or bowling. However, when two of his golfing buddies died, he did cut back to playing only 3 mornings a week. Meanwhile, it gradually became apparent that Charlotte had Alzheimer's disease. About 1993-while in his young 80s-he quit golfing altogether and turned his attention to caring for her. A couple years later he also gave up bowling. Charlotte died in 1996, and soon after Henry moved to a senior living community in Bethesda, Maryland (near his elder daughter Jane), where he now-at age 90-lives and cares for a couple of favorite plants. He says he doesn't do much now as "all old people live here." He does eat dinner every night with his neighbor Carl, which has the side benefit of keeping the many widows from trying to make time with him. He likes to listen to sports on the radio-still following the Chicago Cubs. It's hard for him to see, he walks with difficulty, and he needs to wear a hearing aid, but he's still as impressive (confident and personable) as ever. He is still an eloquent speaker. When told of this, he was surprised. He'd been asked this before and was surprised then, too. "To me, I'm just an ordinary person," he said. Henry died in Bethsda, Maryland in early 2006. From ObitsArchive.com Paper: Northbrook Star (IL) Deceased: Henry J. Koukal Date: January 26, 2006, Henry J. Koukal, 96, of Bethesda, Md., died Jan. 16 at home. Mr. Koukal was born Oct. 20, 1909 in Plattsmouth, Neb. He lived in Glenview from about 1958 to 1996 and then moved to a retirement home in Bethesda. He had retired in 1974 from the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railway. Survivors include his daughters, Jane K. Myers of Silver Spring, Md. and Jacquelyn Tennant of Gaithersburg, Md.; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte Georgia Thompson. A memorial service was held Saturday in Maplewood Park Place (the retirement community in which he lived.) Interment was in Oak Hill Cemetery, Plattsmouth, Neb.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Henry Joseph Koukal's memorial?
Henry Joseph Koukal's memorial is located at: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA.
When did Henry Joseph Koukal death?
Henry Joseph Koukal death on 16 Jan 2006 in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Henry Joseph Koukal's memorial?
Latitude: 41.0122660
Longitude: -95.9128240

Family Members:

Parent

John Koukal

(1856 - 1927)

Mary Svoboda Koukal

(1868 - 1912)

Spouse

Charlotte Georgia Thompson Koukal

(1910 - 1996)

Siblings

Julia Clementine Koukal Kratochvil

(1888 - 1983)

Joseph George “Joe” Koukal

(1889 - 1965)

John A. Koukal

(1891 - 1929)

Emil Anton Koukal

(1896 - 1965)

Henrietta Mary Koukal Kerns

(1909 - 1998)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0122660, -95.9128240

2. Oak Hill Cemetery
Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0106010, -95.9124985

3. Billings Cemetery
Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0025000, -95.8897000

4. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9735985, -95.8827972

5. LaPlatte Cemetery
La Platte, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0694008, -95.9336014

6. Doom Family Cemetery
Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9550000, -95.8575000

7. Youngs Cemetery
Murray, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9406013, -95.9039001

8. Clemmons Cemetery
Murray, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9300003, -95.8961029

9. Eight Mile Grove Cemetery
Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9509239, -95.9979324

10. Martin Chapel Cemetery
Pacific City, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0611000, -95.8013992

11. Godsey Cemetery
Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0705986, -95.8075027

12. Gowens-Turner Cemetery
Glenwood, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0715510, -95.7952420

13. Rock Bluff Cemetery
Plattsmouth, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9150009, -95.8469009

14. Van Eaton Cemetery
Pacific Junction, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 40.9388800, -95.7919400

15. Offutt AFB Cemetery
Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1325607, -95.9096451

16. Anderson Grove Cemetery
Bellevue, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1285286, -95.9670334

17. Tunison Cemetery
Bellevue, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1357570, -95.9481150

18. Wall Cemetery
Mineola, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1157990, -95.8153000

19. Lewiston Cemetery
Union, Cass County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8856087, -95.8936539

20. Columban Martyrs Memorial Garden
Bellevue, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1403220, -95.9034390

21. Moscrip Cemetery
Bellevue, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1413500, -95.8917000

22. Glenwood Cemetery
Glenwood, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0599670, -95.7480240

23. Glenwood Catholic Cemetery
Glenwood, Mills County, USA
Coordinate: 41.0600000, -95.7453000

24. Church of the Holy Spirit Columbarium
Bellevue, Sarpy County, USA
Coordinate: 41.1475000, -95.9244000