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The story of my lifePart 2Ing. Josef PAVEL (born 14.02.1903, died 17.06.1992)I often think of and remember my dear wife Marie. This I do always with the greatest respect and fondness. She is deeply embedded in my memory because of her hardworking attitude, honesty, love, unselfishness, truthfulness and directness, features which deserve appreciation and respect. This can only be appreciated correctly by our Lord, into who's hands she departed 10 years ago. She left us so suddenly and unexpectedly that we were not even able to bid her fare well, listen to her last wishes, bequests and blessings. She rests in the cemetery at Prague-Modrany and awaiting her resurrection by our Lord during his second arrival on this Earth as our Christian faith teaches us. She died when she was only 59 years old. Mr. Kraml, Father of Jiri and her Uncle Picha in Donov, or Mr. Ledvinka from Prague, who used to come to Drahov to spend his holidays, also died at this age. I will now attempt to describe some events and details of her fruitful and noble life. Unfortunately I know very little about her youth and it was my fault that I never tried to fill in this gap. Today it is very difficult and too late to do anything about it. She comes from a well known and old Family Marek, which owned a comparatively large and prosperous farm in Drahov number 22, near Veseli upon Luznice, i.e. in the most beautiful part of South Bohemia, full of deep woods, magic ponds and charming rivers. Village Drahov is situated on the highway from Veseli to Kardasova Recice, at the outskirts of extensive woods spreading all the way to Jindrichuv Hradec some 25 km away and along the banks of the lovely river Nezarka with crystal clear water, originating in the Czecho-Moravian Highlands near Kamenice upon Lipa, Pocatky and Zirovnice. Drahov is entirely an agricultural village. The land is comparatively poor, suitable for growing rye, oats and potatoes. Other vegetation such as wheat, barley, sugar beet, etc. does not grow there well. For this reason farmers in Drahov were not rich. They had to live economically, and work hard. Despite of this, however, they were not badly off and were quite happy with their conditions. They were friendly, helped each other and trusted in God. Drahov church, which is consecrated to the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, was visited by all of them on Sundays. In addition to arable land the farmers had also many meadows, particularly near the river Nezarka. This enabled them to keep and breed prosperous cattle and other domestic animals, which helped to improve their standard of living. Growing vegetables was not so popular and growing fruit was not their favourite occupation either, but not because they would not flourish there! The whole village Drahov also suffers from the shortage of good clean water. The same situation is in other villages and towns nearby. They use water from shallow wells which is not adequately filtered. For this reason the new trend is to sink much deeper wells and pump water into water mains. Below is the Family tree of my wife. It is complete and not far reaching, but even from these records it is clear that Marek Family have been settlers in Bohemia as far as can be found and that they are genuine Czechs. My wife was born on 5th June 1910 at Drahov and she had five brothers and sisters: - Jan born 7th April 1909 - Marie born 5th June 1910 (my wife) - Bozena born 13th August 1912 - Josef born 30th August 1914 - Anna born 2nd February 1917 - Terezie born 5th April 1919 The brother of my wife Jan, as the first son, inherited the farm at Drahov number 22. He married Marie Bastyrova from Preseka near Trebon, where her father was also a farmer. Unfortunately Jan died on 5th January 1955 of cancer. He was survived by his son who is also called Jan and who has settled in Drahov and by his daughter Marie, married name Plickova, who now lives in Kardasova Recice. His son Jan studied at the middle agricultural school and then at the High Agricultural School which he however did not finish with a diploma. He is currently working as a manager of the agricultural sector at the co-operative farm at Veseli. Before this he was the chairman of the co-operative farm at Val near Drahov. His wife Emilka, born Bouzarova, works as an accountant also at the co-operative farm at Veseli. They have three daughters: Hana, Eva and Alena. Marie Plickova works in the pencil manufacturing factory Kohinoor. Her husband Ing.Jan Plicka works at the co-operative farm in Kardasova Recice. They also have three children: Jana, Zdena and Jiri. They are all well and are prospering and growing fast. Their standard of living seems high. But, of course, it depends which scale one uses for comparing things and what is being compared. The views could be quite different. Marie Plickova was recently seriously ill but she seems to have recovered by now, thank God. The sister of my wife Bozena studied at a commercial school in Ceske Budejovice. After the completion of her studies she was unable to find a job and therefore she lived with us and helped with the children and household. Her assistance was very useful. Just before the 2nd WW broke out she found work as an accountant at CKD in Prague-Vysocany. There she met Karel Eichler, who was working in the same office. At that time she found her own accommodation and was living on her own. She married Karel Eichler some time during the war. To begin with they lived in a flat in Kyje near Prague, but later they moved to another one at Pankrac in Prague before they finally settled in a nice flat near the CKD factory at Vysocany in Sokolovska ulice. They have two sons, Karel and Jiri. When they were small Bozena stayed at home and looked after them, but when they grew up she went back to work with CSD (Czechoslovak Railways) in the personnel department of Liben and Karlin section. She worked there until her retirement. Her husband Karel joined the communist Party in 1945, where he reached a high position because he was a good speaker and a sharp observer. His carrier progressed swiftly and he eventually became a deputy director of CKD, a huge factory complex second only to Skoda in Pilsen. He then moved in Moravia to Prerov where he completed his working days. Bozena and Karel purchased a flat in Prerov for their retirement. They say they are very happy there. Their son Karel also moved from Prague to the same town because of work. His wife works there as an inspector in the Town Hall. Their second son Jiri inherited his parents' flat they used to have in Prague. He made many improvements there . His wife works at a local bakery. They have two daughters, Gabriela and Kristina. Their son Karel has two children: a son Jiri and a daughter Petra. Both sons of Bozena live well despite the fact that their education was not so high. They are both happy that they are members of the working class which is now pampered in our country. My brother-in-law Josef Marek was 65 this year. He is still strong, lively and busy. He looks after his family well. Although he retired officially several years ago, he still works as a consultant with the Prague transport. It is an easy job as he supervises a major sub-station. When something goes wrong he calls the specialists who come to fix it. This job has one advantage: he and his wife are entitled to free travel on the Prague transport. They are well, apart from the usual colds and coughs. From spring to autumn they stay in their summer house at Vyzlovka near Prague, which they are always improving. They also have a nice garden there. The soil is good there and so they can grow vegetables, flowers and fruit trees. If there is a draught they can use water from a stream which is flowing just behind the fence of their garden. The quality of this water is eminently suitable for this purpose. In their garden there are some old poplar trees which are slowly dying out and thus give them wood for heating. The good thing is that they plant new trees to replace the old ones. The only problem they have concerns the foundations of their house which are subsiding and causing cracks in walls. They were trying to prevent the spreading of the cracks by drying out of the foundations and reinforcing them with steel anchor rods. Unfortunately these measures were inadequate and the foundations will have to be strengthened with cement injections. Josef's wife Libuse retired and is now at home looking after their daughter Nadja's sons Ondrej and Jakub (Andrew and James), mainly at Vyzlovka. Josef and Libuse Marek live in Prague near Nadja's family and so are able to look after their children even there. Their second daughter Libuse Bastl lives with her family in Switzerland. She went to the USA with her husband for a short time in order to obtain American citizenship. She was in Chicago and when she returned she described to us how everything was much cheaper in the USA than in Switzerland and also that Chicago was now much more peaceful and orderly (she arrived there in 1968 and lived there for several years afterwards). We were all very surprised to hear that. My brother-in-law Josef Marek studied at a secondary school in Ceske Budejovice. He studied well, he is very gifted. He travelled every day on his bicycle to Mezimosti and from there by train to C.Budejovice. It was very tiring especially in winter or bad weather, not to speak about the lost time. It was so much easier for his sister Bozena who was staying in C. Budejovice during her school days, she did not commute. Josef excelled in maths, descriptive geometry and physics. He was interested in these subjects. After the completion of this school he dreamt that he would work at the railways as a station master. This wish, however, did not come true because of the recession which made jobs scarce. Josef therefore joined the army. The initial step was meant to be only provisional for two years, after which he planned to decide what to do next. He joined the army in Jindrichuv Hradec in the barracks of the local regiment beside the church of the Virgin Mary, where the 15th meridian runs through. This place is marked with a special plaque. Josef entered a school for aspirant officers and after its completion was transferred to Hranice in Moravia where he qualified in two years time as a lieutenant of the 35th regiment in Pilsen. He was then attached to a battalion stationed in Klatovy. There he remained until the beginning of the 2nd WW and the occupation of our country by the Germans. He was then de-mobilised and since the Czech army no longer existed he had to find himself a job as a civilian. He became an official in a Prague co-operative. His office was located at the corner of Dlazdena Street and Senovazne Square (today Max.Gorky). At the beginning of the war he married and lived in the house of his wife Libuska's parents in Prague Hloubetin where his father-in-law was a butcher. After the war Josef joined the army again and was made the commander of automobile columns formed for the repatriation of German citizens from Sudetenland to Germany and Hungarian citizens from Slovakia to Hungary. In Hungary in exchange he received Slovaks living there. Most of them were Gypsies. When the repatriation was finished he joined the regular army units and in the end became the commander of a garrison in Cesky Krumlov in South Bohemia where he remained until his retirement. Subsequently he moved with his wife to Prague where they rented a flat in Kosire, Na Smukyrce, which they later exchanged for a smaller one at Brevnov, Belohorska Street. Mareks do not like travelling abroad. Twice they went to see their daughter Libuska in Switzerland. My sister-in-law Anna lived in Drahov before she got married. She worked there in the household or on the farm. She lived for several years also in our villa. She married Jiri Cizek, the son of a teacher in Zlukov, who was also a teacher in Drahov at some stage. Jiri Cizek studied medicine in Prague when the war broke out and the University was closed by the Germans. He was therefore forced to interrupt his studies but never returned back when the war ended. Instead he found himself a job at a chemical factory which manufactured medical drugs at Rybitvi near Pardubice. He and his family got a small house in which they still live. He is retired but still works at the factory as a consultant. They have one daughter Hana who studied at the Agricultural Faculty of the Prague University. After graduation she found a job in the Agriculture Research Institute at Hradec Kralove. She is now married and her husband is a mechanical engineer Ing.Jan Rubacek. He is employed at Skoda Works at Hradec Kralove. They live in Svobodne Dvory near Hradec Kralove in Central Bohemia. They have a one storey house with a garden, garage and a workshop. They have two sons: Martin and Filip. Hana changed her work and now teaches agriculture at a nearby school as a professor. By doing this she saves quite a lot of time by not travelling so far to work. But, before she was given this new job, she had to sit some further pedagogical examinations. She did this while still doing her previous work and went to Prague to sit her exams. Hana is very conscientious and clever and very gifted. Her parents have the opportunity to help her by looking after her children. This is a great advantage. They have a car Fiat which goes very well. Hana has a driving licence. Jiri Cizek's first Employer was a Research laboratory at the chemical factory in Rosice near Pardubice. It is also near Rybitvi. He only worked there for several years, but was dismissed when he was thrown out of the Communist party. He was only a 'paper' member. His occupation was to test and certify medicaments manufactured in the chemical factory. For this purpose he had a complete farm of various animals, rabbits, mice, etc. After his dismissal from the Party he was transferred to the factory itself where he worked as a labourer. He was very successful in this appointment and the factory management is trying to keep him employed as long as possible. Also his wife Anna works there as a labourer and is satisfied. They both earn quite a lot of money. One advantage of this posting is that it is very near to their home, only 1 km or 15 minutes walking distance. They live in a colony of family houses built by the factory for their employees, near a wood. They also have a garden where they grow fruit trees, bushes and vegetables; they are also able to keep hens, rabbits and ducks. Their house is equipped with central heating and has 2 living rooms on the ground floor, one room above and a cellar. It is semi-detached. The Cizeks can use convenient public transport in the form of comfortable trolley buses which operate frequently between Pardubice and Bohdanec spa and stop just in front of their house. For their summer holidays Cizeks go to Drahov or Hamr. They were both born and brought up in South Bohemia and therefore it is not surprising that they like to come back when they can. However, they are now contemplating to rent an old empty vicarage somewhere near Hradec Kralove and Orlicke Mountains. This will be their regular summer retreat area and they will visit Drahov less frequently. I must return to my brother-in-law Josef Marek. It is only right to note that he was a good commander in the army. He was accurate, strict and direct. He was popular with the soldiers but all his subordinates were most terribly scared of him, he was uncompromising, criticised slack or messy work, laziness, comfortable approach to problems, etc. But his style of management was always to set a good example. He was excellent in organising things. But he was not a despot. He served conscientiously and did not spare himself. Unfortunately his health suffered as a result and he had to go to hospital in Ceske Budejovice to have his gall bladder removed. His exceptional ability to command his units was highly appreciated. Even his soviet 'adviser', allocated to him, as was then the practice, understood him well and became his good friend. From time to time they even went together to a pub for a beer. Once Josef even brought him to Drahov on a visit. The Russian asked Josef why he was not in the Communist party. When he explained to him that he came from a 'kulak' family, the Russian apparently waved his hand and remarked that 'it does not matter, we, in the USSR, have even nobility in the army'. It is clear that even in this direction we Czechs have plenty to learn. Josef was eventually retired by the army when he was still young. The reason given was that he had served in the army during the 1st Republic (before the WW, therefore non communist). As a retired soldier he and his wife were allocated a flat in Prague Smukyrka, where they settled down. Josef did not want to stay at home and found himself a job with a firm 'Electromontaze' (electrical installations). He started as a labourer digging trenches for laying cables by hand. During this soulless occupation he keenly observed the installation works and acquired thus a lot of experience. Eventually he went to school to study electro engineering, sat relevant exams and obtained a qualification as an electrician. This education enabled him to join the Prague Transport organisation and work there as a supervisor of sub-stations. As an electrician he found opportunities for work in many places and utilises his newly acquired skill whenever he can. For example, he did the re-wiring of our villa in Drahov which was out of date and did not comply with the current rules, he installed the hot water boiler, electricity meters etc. He works astonishingly fast, well and reliably. It is a pleasure to watch him. Josef Marek used to smoke a lot when he was in the army. Cigarettes 'Zorky' were his favourite brand. Today, however, he does not smoke. He stopped after his gall bladder operation and also observes a strict diet since. He also had trouble with his prostate, but this stopped after an operation. Josef Marek's daughter Libuse married a famous sportsman Jiri Bastl from Prague. In 1968 Bastl left Czechoslovakia to work as an ice hockey and tennis trainer in America, where he and his wife and family obtained American citizenship. However, they have now been living for several years in Switzerland where he coaches the Swiss in ice hockey and tennis. They have a son Jiri who is 5 years old. As American citizens they are allowed to visit Czechoslovakia without difficulties whenever they want and are taking advantage of this by a visit to their parents from time to time. Josef Marek's younger daughter Nadja studied philosophy at the University of Prague and graduated as a doctor of philosophy (the same as Roberta Pavel). Nadja married Ing.J.Slemr, who works as a civil engineer at the District council of Prague 6. They have a nice flat in a new building at Brevnov. They own a car Skoda 120 and like to travel abroad to the German Democratic Republic to the Baltic Sea, or to Hungary or Bulgaria. They have two sons: Ondrej and Jakub. Slemr's standard of living is good. Nadja works at the Academy of science at the Narodni Street in Prague. The children are at school, or their grandparents Josef and Libuse Marek look after them. If the weather is good, they take them to their summer house at Vyzlovka. My youngest sister-in-law Terezie (Rezinka) studied a school of economy in Tabor after she completed her municipal school in Mezimosti. She then stayed at home in Drahov helping on the farm before she got married. Her husband Josef Dobias, who originated from Hluboka upon Vltava, is a teacher. He taught in Ostrava and in Slezsko in Moravia to begin with, but when this part of the country was occupied by the Poles at the beginning of the second WW, he came to Drahov to teach. He lived in our villa, in the small room upstairs, during the whole war. It was during this time that he married Rezinka. After the war he remained in Drahov for a short time, but was soon transferred to Kardasova Recice where he was promoted to the post of a headmaster. But even this posting did not last more than 1 year and after the repatriation of the German inhabitants they moved to Nova Bystrice where there was a bigger school. They lived in a house left behind by the Germans. It was in Nova Bystrice, where Josef Dobias joined the Communist Party and became a keen and active member. Rezinka worked in a local textile factory. Later Josef Dobias was transferred to the Regional Council of Jindrichuv Hradec to lead the department of education and also work as a school inspector. They lived there happily and well. They have three children. The oldest son Jan was born in Prague maternity hospital and got his name after his uncle, brother of Josef Dobias, MUDr. Jan Dobias, who started to work as a doctor at the psychological hospital at Prague-Karlov and eventually was in charge of it. Recently he was made a professor of the Charles's University. Our Grandmother Marek from Drahov was also treated at this hospital but with no positive results. She was too old and became senile. But when she left the hospital she calmed down and spent her remaining days peacefully. However, she was then unable to look after herself and somebody had to stay with her and assist her. But this was an easy task. She alternated between Drahov, Prague (with us and or the Eichlers), and Rybitvi (with the Cizeks) and also Hluboka (with the Dobias family). Her last years she spent entirely with us either in Podoli or at Hodkovicky, where she celebrated her 80th birthday in January 1968. Many people came to congratulate her, including the Cizek, Eichler, Marek and Dobias Families. Soon afterwards in March 1968 Grandmother Marek suffered a brain stroke, was paralysed and died. Her remains were transferred to Drahov and buried in the family grave. I must now return to complete the description of the life of the Dobias family. My brother-in-law came from Hluboka upon Vltava-Zamosti, where his parents lived. His father was an administrator of a large local farm. He and his wife, i.e. parents of Josef Dobias, had built themselves a small villa for their retirement. When they died their three sons Josef, Jan and Jaroslav inherited the house. Josef Dobias took the house over and moved in from Nova Bystrice after paying his brothers relevant shares. Josef got a job of a headmaster at a school in Ceske Budejovice and Rezinka was working in the same town in warehouses with textile products. Josef and Rezinka Dobias have three children: Jan, Helena and Dagmar. Their son Jan studied at an industrial school and had the opportunity to work at Skoda Works in Pilsen, where he was offered a job with better pay. However, when he discovered that his salary would be low, he changed his mind and accepted a job as a lorry driver. He drives large 'TIR' lorries often abroad, from where he brings various things which are not available at home. His sister Helena studied at the Teacher's Institute in Ceske Budejovice, in fact at a Faculty of Education and after its completion works at Lisov as a teacher. She commutes to Lisov daily. The youngest daughter Dagmar(Dasa) possibly also studied at the same Faculty as her sister, but became ill with her kidneys and was thus unable to devote herself to the teaching profession. For a while she worked in Prague-Kundratice as children's carer in a Children's home, before she married Ing.Sima, who lived in Hluboka near the Dobias family. Before they married he worked in Prague at a computer station and occasionally took Dasa home in his car. Helena married Mr. Brezina who owns a house in Ceske Budejovice and works in this town as a restaurant manager. Josef and Rezinka Dobias live near Drahov which they visit during the fete, All Souls remembrance etc. Dasa is not well and her kidney illness is very difficult to cure. For this reason she has to go to hospital from time to time for observations. Their son Jan still works as a lorry driver with CSAD Czechoslovak Automobile Transport. He drives 'TIR' lorries. Josef Dobias has been in retirement since 1969 from his last post of director of schools in Ceske Budejovice. He is at home looking after his house, garden, hens and rabbits. I hear that he took up a job of a watchman with a local firm. He is still well and in good health. Rezinka is also retired but still works in Pisek in a textile firm as a helper. She commutes there daily by a bus. They have no car. Rezinka is still as always vivacious, lively, in good spirits and helps unselfishly everybody who needs it. She has a rare disposition. She never gets excited or annoyed and keeps calm in all circumstances. She does not allow stupid things or people to ruin her nerves and this contributes to her excellent health. In this direction she should be an example to many grumpy people. Probably it was a gift from God she received and we should not ask why and how. She probably deserves it as a reward for all the good deeds she does generously. My wife Marie also had a good heart. She was well known because of this and liked by all people who knew her and with whom she was in contact. She was able to share what she had with those in need. She was glad to be able to help and serve when somebody was in difficulty. She always welcomed all visitors who happened to call at our house. She was always very kind, attentive and obliging. She had a well developed gift for such courteous behaviour which not everybody has. She was born with an excellent and intelligent spirit and possessed a very rich scale of wisdom and experiences although she did not have the opportunity to acquire them at schools. After absolving the primary and secondary schools she entered the lower school of economy in Jindrichuv Hradec. She studied with very good results. She probably commuted there from Donov where she found her second home with her grandparents. She also went to school in this village. The family Picha who looked after her in Donov were very kind and popular people. They are good farmers, keep everything in good order. It was obvious to everybody who entered their yard that the owner was exemplary. Land in Donov is much richer than that in Drahov. As a result they can grow wheat, barley, sugar beet, etc. Donov falls within the District area of Jindrichuv Hradec and their shopping town is Kardasova Recice. This small pleasant town is the birth place of our famous writer Boleslav Jablonsky (real name Tupy). He has a monument in the middle of the town and a plaque on the house where he was born. Kardasova Recice was a seat of the nobleman Paar, who owned a nice castle there, which now serves as an old people's home. In addition there is a Directorate for fishponds and the forestry commission in the same building. Also, there is a factory which manufactures the famous pencils Kohinoor, set squares and rulers 'Logarex'. All these products are exported the world over. No wonder people like to settle and live there. My wife used to go to the house where Bohuslav Jablonsky was born to buy Christmas carp, real giants in size! The submerged cages where the fish were kept were located just beside the house. Kardasova Recice also has nice surroundings, there are a number of small and large fish ponds surrounded by woods which spread from there as far as Jindrichuv Hradec and Novosedly upon Luznice. The river Nezarka meanders through the woods, a perfect river: not small, not big, not shallow, not deep, not cold, not hot, but exactly as it should be. It is a wonderful river which winds like a snake in all directions, is mostly calm and flows with dignified haste to Veseli to merge with the river Luznice. Both rivers are also connected through a complicated and intricate network of so called 'New rivers', human made streams, canals, troughs which all form part of the unique system of lakes and fish ponds in South Bohemia founded by Jakub from Jelcan and Jan Krcin in the middle ages. The largest and most famous fish pond is called 'Rozmbersky' near Trebon. These New rivers start near Chlum by Trebon and continue in the north-easterly direction to join Nezarka near Novosedly upon Nezarka. From there it is not far to castle Jemcina. The great woods surrounding it bear the same name. A most beautiful pond called 'Velka Holna', which is beside these woods was admired by many writers, poets and actors for its most romantic scenery. But it is not so easy to find it as it is rather hidden from the outside world. It was this eternal peace which these great men searched for and found there. They needed these conditions to find inspiration for their writing and thinking and to find a respite from the outside world. We used to go there, my wife and I on a bicycles. It is easy to get there from Drahov as the roads are well marked. It is an easy outing full of magic, surrounded by unspoiled nature, through the valley of Nezarka, through the peaceful woods, where only seldom anybody comes. This is how it used to be. People living nearby were usually too tired after their hard work to venture on such outings. I fear that today it is probably different. Today the town people go everywhere and mainly are keen on discovering such peaceful corners in order to do some mischief there. They leave behind only mess and ruins. But, fortunately, actions against them are already in progress, they are being followed up and checked and some of the really unique parts are being declared out of bounds. Such a remote village as Drahov, used to be a deserted simple little nest, full of peace, satisfaction and friendship. Everybody had his own house, cattle, chickens, ducks, geese which were giving them reasonable living and sometimes savings. Therefore they were preoccupied thinking about their small property. Everybody was his own boss, was working on his farm himself and enjoying it. It was a hard life but secure. Even this rural idyll, so deeply rooted in the people, which survived all storms of change and bad times, is lately being destroyed by the new modern developments and progress and it is doubtful if it will ever return. This new process still continues and all that is old is being changed and we are worried how all this is going to end. But we must not be small minded. We must believe in God to whom everything belongs and who is the Creator of everything, who guides the developments on our planet according to His intentions and imagination. God sees everything clearly in the future and knows where he is going to guide us. We will never be able to understand this with our small brains although we try with all our might. It is correct that we should search for and explore the rules and the laws governing this planet, we are well equipped with excellent abilities to observe, explore and discover the laws of nature and utilise them to our advantage. We are astonished, when we see what mankind managed to achieve during its existence, what it managed to research, what it managed to conquer and exploit. One can only anticipate and foresee further discoveries of the secrets of laws of nature, which are still hidden to our eyes and understanding. Today many philosophers and thinkers, probably rightly, are of the opinion, that mankind is too pre-occupied by its endeavour to uncover the most basic reasons for the origin and development of life on Earth but at the same time neglects many basic duties. Our activities are rushed, without a target, uncompleted. Even if we try as hard as we can, we are unable to avoid uselessness, mistakes, and trespass. We must accept that we are imperfect creatures, weak and dependent on our Creator to whom we, one day, will have to submit an account for our deeds. Arabs, the believers in Islam and their prophet Mohammed, also believe in one God, as we do. They serve us as an example in many directions and surpass us with their stubborn attitude and pride in maintaining their faith throughout the centuries. One has to admire how they are prepared to defend their beliefs which lead them from laziness and apathy to great achievements. They are able to confess their faith to the outside world and are proud to do it. They are proud to be lead by it, fight and suffer for it. This attitude is foreign to many a Christian. It may be that the reason is that they are too well off to put all their money on this horse! But these people will find the truth one day... I see I have moved in a different direction and must now return to my writing about my wife. But even though the above seems unconnected with her, there is indeed a link, because she was brought up in a Christian family, in Christian surroundings at home and at school. The Marek family lived a Christian life, attended Sunday masses regularly, observed holidays on Sundays and Feasts when they did not work and treated their helpers and maids as if they were members of their own family. Mareks had a nice and well managed farm, but to cultivate their fields was not easy. The land was poor and therefore its yield was low. The family therefore had to live in accordance with the possibilities, particularly when they had 6 children to bring up. Thank God, they managed that because they worked intensively, ran their household sensibly, ate and clothed themselves economically. Also, the members of the family were blessed with good health and a lack of accidents, losses and disasters so they managed not only to maintain the farm but to keep improving it. For example, in the forties they built new stables for their four horses, installed water supply for the cow stables, re-allocated the storage of manure from inside the yard behind the cow stables. They also built a new area for cutting fodder, increased the number of pens for pigs, built a nice new modern henhouse. They constructed a new well in the garden as directed by a water diviner. It was assumed that the well would give them good clean water, better than that taken from the existing well. However, although the new well's capacity is good, the water quality is not better than the norm for Drahov. But Drahov inhabitants use their water for cooking and also drink it, mainly in the summer, when it is hot. No epidemic has ever occurred in Drahov because of this water. Also, the mortality is not abnormally high but average and people do not suffer from illnesses more then elsewhere. The population numbers are dwindling in recent years but this has nothing to do with the water: it is a result of people emigrating to towns and of lower birth rate. This is connected with the fact that in comparison with previous times Drahov today looks much more sad and less lively. Fewer people are living there and many of those work in Veseli, leave the village in the morning and return in the evening. The cultivation of the fields and meadows and the supply of cattle and pigs with fodder is all done mechanically these days, but the noise of the machinery is horrendous. This work used to be done by hand with the help of horses, cows, oxen, etc., Many people were employed and this was apparent in the life of the village. People were to be seen everywhere working intensively and purposefully. Their approach was not rushed, it was a job done in peace, full of pleasure and satisfaction. The whole family worked and even the school youngsters were called to help during the peak periods at hay harvests in June and corn harvests in July/August. It was hard work full of sweat and self sacrifice but it also brought a lot of rewards and satisfaction from the knowledge of doing useful work well. How changed it is all now! The idyllic atmosphere has been lost; one cannot see a cow anywhere in the village, or an ox, or a horse pulling a cart. This has been lost completely. The blacksmith's workshop is closed, there is no work for it. There is no need to shoe horses or oxen, repair farming machinery, maintain carts, ploughs, etc. The work is now totally mechanised, machines replaced people, who depend on them totally. This, of course was introduced in the USA and in the West a long time ago. Their yields are so high that they cannot use all their products and export surplus abroad and mainly to eastern Europe. This extensive use of mechanisation in agriculture is of course accompanied by an enormous consumption of diesel and petrol fuel, which is getting more and more expensive and its import more and more difficult. It may happen that in not so distant future a shortage of the fuel will occur and then we will be glad to return to our horses and cultivate our fields as before. Possibly in a more modern form than before. Who knows? The Marek family, where my wife came from, had well maintained farm houses, i.e. large cowsheds with cows standing in two rows, pens for pigs, sheds for keeping and rearing fowl, two sheds for carts and wagons and various machinery, a grain silo with several storeys, a barn and a nice house as living quarters. This had four living rooms, a large entrance hall, an oven, and a lard. Two rooms had a cellar below used for storing potatoes, turnips and vegetables during the winter time. All rooms had large stoves installed for heating. Mareks used wood as fuel. This was taken from the woods they owned. However, the felled trees were immediately replanted, mainly by pines and spruces. The main room was a kitchen and it had a large oven built in. It was used for baking bread and cakes and various other things. This oven heated up the whole kitchen. It accumulated heat which then lasted for a long time. The top part of the oven was used for sleeping. Children usually enjoyed sleeping there even when they grew up a bit. The living rooms had a wall 60-80cm thick and comparatively small double glazed windows and were therefore well insulated. The living rooms had their own independent water main based on a well located in the entrance hall. Initially a simple hand pump was used but this was changed later for an automatic pressure system, which distributed water everywhere including the bathroom and the toilet, which were added recently. At the time of our marriage Mareks lived all together in these living rooms. Things changed when their son Jan got married in 1936. He and his wife took over the large kitchen and adjacent large room used as a guest bed room. His parents together with Anca and Rezinka moved to the remaining smaller rooms with the cellar below. Thus they were separated from the newly married couple. This was a correct and satisfactory solution. At that time our villa was already built and so Anca moved in and stayed there until she got married. Josef Marek and his sister Bozena already had their own flats, Josef as a lieutenant in Klatovy and Bozena stayed with us at Most and Prague. The Mareks were an orderly family, with intensive social life full of mutual understanding and love. Everywhere it was clean, the household was maintained in an exemplary and simple way. It was obvious to everybody that it was looked after correctly and sensibly. It was therefore not surprising that every visitor felt at home there and would be accepted by the Family as its rightful member. No wonder that Mareks were known everywhere as friendly and kind citizens with whom people liked to talk, deal with and visit. Thank God they managed to stay that way even now. It is therefore not surprising that as my wife was brought up in this ideal family environment, she acquired and brought into her life a wealth of excellent experience and wisdom, which she knew how to share with others, in any situation and environment. Her kind nature was formed both in Drahov and Donov where she lived until she was 21 years old and married me. The Picha family in Donov lived a similar life to that of the Mareks in Drahov. They were also very kind orderly and hard working people. They were also a large family of 8 members, i.e. Uncle Picha, his wife Ruzena, 4 children and Grandpa Jakub and Grandma Marie. My wife fitted in very well as the 9th member and lived there happily. I believe that she was not idle there and was helping them as best as she could. They liked her and helped her even after she married me and had to live like a refugee all over the country. She liked to return to Donov particularly during the war, when there was a shortage of food and the ration quotas were inadequate. The Pichas helped us from time to time with eggs, butter etc. They always helped us generously. My wife lived with Pichas for several years when she was young, was happy there and liked to visit them later on. Grandfather Jakub Picha died when he was 84 and Grandmother Marie Picha, who was 21 years younger at the age of 72 in 1943. His son Jan was born 1893 and died in 1952 of TB at the age of 59. During the 1st WW Jan fought in the Austrian army on the Russian front. He was captured by the Russians and as a POW joined the Czech legions with whom he then returned home in 1921. His wife came from the neighbouring farm. She died in 1971 of a kidney disease. Their son, also Jan, lives on the farm. He works at the co-operative farm as a tractor driver. His wife was born in Prague where she worked at the post office and now she works in the Kohinoor pencil factory in Kardasova Recice. They have two children: a son Ivan and a daughter Jana. The villages Donov and Zlukov fall within the Drahov Parish. Their inhabitants go to church to Drahov and also their dead are buried there. They used to come on foot but now travel in cars 'like Lords'. At the Drahov cemetery the family graves of the Mareks, Pichas and Jechs are beside each other and are well maintained. The Marek family have further relations in the Blata region near Veseli. The sisters of Grandpa Marek are married there on various farms. They are family Dvorak at Pelejovice, family Polak at Kundratice, family Frejlach at Borkovice, family Krasnych at Pelejovice and family Sladek at Sviny. Grandpa Marek had 5 sisters but no brother. As one can see my wife has extensive relations who all lived in peace and harmony. They used to visit Drahov regularly, mainly during the Drahov fete and the feast of All Souls in November. My wife used to live happily in these first class surroundings, God loving, full of happiness and work. Farms prospered, it was a pleasure to observe them. I met my future wife for the first time only briefly during a dance in Donov in 1929. It was in October and I went there on foot together with my colleagues Ing.Vlcek and Marek (no relation). Ing.Vlcek was employed by the railways in Mezimosti as a temporary worker. He was educated as an electrical engineer and later found a job which was in his line. At that time he was still single. We lived together in Mezimosti until his departure to Tabor and then to Prague. He was a very good friend of mine. Marek was also a decent man employed in Veseli by the regional agricultural savings bank. He lived in the attic of same house as Ing.Vlcek and I. We lived on the ground floor. Marek's home village was Donov where his parents had a pub. The dance took place there. I danced with my future wife several times and later returned together with my friends back to Mezimosti by a train. I did not see her until the February of the next year in 1930 when she came to church in Veseli where I used to go regularly to mass. I recognised her immediately and approached her and was delighted when she agreed that I could accompany her all the way to Drahov. The weather was nice and the journey passed very quickly. It must be said , that the road is very nice, full of various bends, slopes up and down and offers the most beautiful views in all directions and particularly towards the Sumava mountains. One can also enjoy a good view towards the valley of Nezarka. So I discovered where she came from and where she lived. After I accompanied her home I returned back to Mezimosti. But before I left her I arranged our next meeting on the same road from Mezimosti to Drahov. So gradually we became to know each other, talked to each other and went for walks into the nearby countryside. She was a young, well built and beautiful girl. Her behaviour was exemplary and she displayed some exceptional social opinions. She never spoke too much as she was rather reserved. From the beginning we understood each other well. At her invitation I dared to visit her family. I remember how I was surprised by the friendly welcome I received from her parents and brothers and sisters. I was most impressed by their house. And that was how it all started! We met once a week and more and more often I visited their house. I thus got acquainted with her and also with her family. At that time, however, I had to study the railway legislation, laws and codes and sit examinations. These were extensive tasks and also difficult, concerning matters of transport, signalisation, safety and construction. Preparations for the exams had to be done at home after my working hours. It was winter and my room was cold and so I usually preferred to go out and study while walking in the nearby wood 'Klobasna'. It was a nice and well grown wood and quite extensive. At the entrance to it was a house of the game keeper. His name was Kacer (Mallard) and he was very talkative. He liked to chat with me and invite me to his house for a beer or sour milk accompanied by a slice of bread and butter prepared by his wife. They had a small piece of land and a meadow and this enabled them to keep a cow and chickens. They were kind people. I was really terribly busy with the preparations for the exams as a wanted to have them over as soon as possible. It was hard work but in the end I managed to pass them. Afterwards I had more time and was able to spend more time with my future wife. We again began to attend various dances and theatres and from time to time even managed to go for outings on bicycles to Jemcina or by train to Ceske Budejovice, Vyssi Brod and eventually even to Klatovy to visit my cousin Bozena. From there we continued with Bozena to Zruc. There was a fete that day, to celebrate the feast of St. Jan Nepomucky to whom our church in Druztova was consecrated. My future wife was received very warmly in both Klatovy and Zruc. And so our courting developed further, we understood each other well, never had any arguments, both my parents and hers agreed that we should continue our friendship and finally agreed that we should get married. The wedding took place in the Drahov church and was conducted by the elderly local priest Jan Holub. Announcements were put up in Drahov and simultaneously in Veseli church only once but this counted for the three usual announcements after an approval was obtained from the church and political authorities. This permission was given by the Regional Council in Trebon and the vicariat at Hlavatce near Sobeslav. The wedding took place on 8th August 1931 during the most splendid sunny weather. Many people came. From my side the following attended: - My Parents - Cousins Ing.Vojtech Pechman, Miladka Struncova and Bozenka Jezkova-Cihalova from Klatovy - Aunt Pavel and cousin Rudolf Pavel from Ceske Budejovice. (Aunt was a widow. Her husband, brother of my Father, died and was cremated recently). From the Marek's side the following attended: - Parents and their children - Grandparents from Donov - Uncle Jan and Aunt Ruzena Picha from Donov - Uncle Jan and Aunt Katerina Prusa from Vresna and their son Jan - Uncle and Aunt Dvorak from Pelejovice - Uncle and Aunt Sladek from Sviny - Cousin Josef Dvorak from Pelejovice( he studied law and now works as a teacher at secondary school at Tabor) - Teachers Frejlach from Borkovice and Zeman from Kunratice - Uncle Polak (Accountant) from Kundratice - Uncle Josef Novak(Jech) from Donov and his sister Bozena - Neighbour Ing.Frantisek Kulhanek from Drahov - Farmer Jan Kouba, a relative - and many others My wife's sister Bozena was the bridesmaid and my cousin Rudolf Pavel from Ceske Budejovice best man. The wedding was as nice as it should be. In the church Ing.Vaclav Kulhanek excelled with his singing and organ playing. He is a self taught musician who performed a most moving song to the Virgin Mary. During the reception Jaroslav Dvorak(Kus) (Helen Pavel knows him, it was he who came to play his accordion and sang with us in Drahov in the garden in the summer of 1994) was amusing the present with his playing and singing. He is also self taught. We celebrated until late night and the following morning visitors returned to their homes. That was how Marie and I became husband and wife. And now we had to start thinking how and where to live. At the beginning we did not have any suitable accommodation of our own and had to stay in our parents' house in Drahov, from where I commuted to work. Soon after the wedding I had to attend military exercises in Bratislava. They lasted 4 weeks. Before that, however, my wife and I went to Zruc for a visit together with the Drahov parents. From there I continued to Bratislava where I was soon joined by my new wife, but only for a few days. When in Bratislava, I was staying in a hotel provided by the army whereas my wife stayed with her relatives from Drahov, Ing Dvorak's family, who worked there in the construction department of the Regional office. The Dvoraks looked after my wife well and in addition to the theatre visits and walks around the town they also took her by boat on the river Danube to the castle Devin. I was unable to devote myself to her because I was tied up with the army the whole day. Meanwhile Mareks managed to find a flat for us in Mezimosti, near the railway station. It was a one room flat with a kitchen and it had an independent entrance. It was orientated to the east and west. The house belonged to Mrs. Bozdechova, a widow, whose late husband was a train driver. On the ground floor there was a grocer run by the railways. There was a large garden. At that time the town had no water supply or drainage system installed and we had to go for water to a well which was situated in the forecourt of the house. The house was a terraced house located on the main street which was also the main highway from Prague to Ceske Budejovice. In those days around 1930 there was hardly any traffic so the place was quiet and we liked it there. My wife's brother Josef Marek attended a school in Ceske Budejovice at that time where he commuted daily from Drahov by bicycle and train. We kept his bicycle in our house. These travels were very difficult for him, especially in winter and bad weather. Josef was a good student. His favourite subjects were mathematics, physics and descriptive geometry. The conditions for his studies were not so good because he had to spend so much time travelling. Nevertheless he managed to get through. He was quite gifted and bright. In addition to all his travel difficulties he also had to help on the farm when he returned home. His sister, Bozena, was better off: she stayed in Ceske Budejovice in a room rented from a family. She completed the Commercial academy but afterwards was unable to find a job and stayed with us and helped with the household. Her assistance was especially welcome when on 17th June 1932 our son Jaroslav was born. Initially my wife wanted to call him Josef but we eventually settled on Jaroslav. He was born at home with the help of the local midwife. The event passed without complications. Mother recovered soon and was as lively as before. The child was baptised in the Veseli church. We had a lot of problems with Jaro in the beginning, he cried a lot and was restless especially during the nights. Assuming that he was ill we took him to doctor Soukup who had his surgery near the church at Veseli. He advised us not to feed him with strong milk which he could not digest and which was giving him a pain. Following his advice we then started to dilute the milk with water and even sweeten it with saccharin. But this treatment did not work and Jaro was getting weaker and weaker. So we took him to doctor Furst, who had his surgery in a house on the square at Veseli. He immediately diagnosed the problem and said that the child was weak, undernourished and that only proper nourishment would make him recover. He prescribed his method of feeding, what kinds of soups and porridges to give him and also 10 sessions under UV sun. Jaro liked this treatment and recovered soon. He was then good and slept the whole night. We used to go with him to the woods, to 'Klobasna' and sometimes even as far as Drahov. We were glad that dr.Furst gave us such good advice. He had quite a lot of experience with bringing up his own children and grand children, whereas dr.Soukup was single. After having lived in Mrs.Bozdechova house in Mezimosti for two years we moved to a new house in the same town on the bank of the river Nezarka. This house belonged to an official employed in Slovakia. His intention was to use this house for his retirement later. It was a pleasant house with a garden and well. When we moved in the garden had no trees and so we planted some. I brought them from Tabor. We kept a dog 'Bojik' who lived in a doghouse in the yard. We used the water from the river for bathing Jaro. It was then clean and soft. Unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy this house for long, because our office in Mezimosti was abolished and we had to move in 1933 to Jindrichuv Hradec to where I was transferred. The railways gave us a two room flat located directly in the one storey building of the station. We lived on the first floor. The flat was quite nice. It had a water main in the corridor. The source of the water was the river Nezarka and was not suitable for cooking and drinking. For these purposes we had to go to a well located in the yard beside the gardens and washing room. The sister of my wife Bozena accompanied us and was of great help to us. We liked it in Jindrichuv Hradec very much. The town itself and its surroundings are beautiful, it has good shopping opportunities and we made many good friends there. My wife enjoyed growing vegetables and flowers in the garden. Jaro ran up and down there. I used to take him to the Franciscan church which was the nearest one. In summer we bathed in the nearby river Nezarka. Also, we went together by train to the station 'Barbora' into the woods to gather blackberries. They used to be plentiful there and not a soul anywhere. When we filled up our jar we went for a swim into a nearby pond. We returned home the same way. My wife was delighted when we returned and used the blackberries for baking a delicious cake. She was a good cook. Our daughter Marie was born in Jindrichuv Hradec on 2nd July 1934, again at home and with the help of a local midwife. It all went well. Bozena took Jaro to Drahov for a few days and returned back with Grandmother Marek so she could help my wife before she recovered and was able to work again on her own. Unfortunately I was not of much use at home because at that time I was sent by the railways to Most to work during the weekdays. I used to arrive back to Jindrichuv Hradec on Saturdays at 9 p.m., stayed with the family during the Sunday and was again on my way to Most on Mondays at 2 a.m. My wife had to manage without me the whole week and it was good that Bozena was able to stay with her and help her. This situation continued until September 1935 when we all, including Bozena, moved to Most. The railways gave us a nice flat in a house they owned, built after the 1st WW opposite the old railway station. We lived there well and my wife was happy there despite the air pollution from the coal mines. She liked the liveliness of the place. At that time our daughter Marie already walked and was very lively and good. That year we spent our Christmas holidays at Most but Bozena went to Drahov to join the rest of the family for the festivities. As soon as we got used to the living conditions at Most, a letter came from the Administration of Railways in Prague in February 1936, requesting me to report immediately at the Ministry of Railways, at the construction department. I was transferred there, at the beginning for a trial period and later on a permanent basis. My wife remained again alone with the children at Most for the whole week and it was very difficult for her. She, however, did not complain that we are forever moving from place to place at short intervals. We remained living at Most until the autumn of 1936 when the permanent posting in Prague was confirmed. At the beginning we settled in a flat at Prague-Vrsovice but stayed there only about 1/2 year, before moving again to another, more suitable one in Prague-Podoli. This time our move was more permanent and we remained there for the next 35 years until 1972 (my wife Marie until her death in 1969). The continuous moving was very disruptive and not easy. However, my wife overcame all these difficulties without grumbling and complaints, sometimes I was under the impression that she actually enjoyed the changes. And it is true that everything went without a hitch. What suffered most was the furniture, which was damaged quite a lot, but it was solidly made by the Veseli's joiners and thus survived everything. My wife was good at house keeping, everything was always kept in order, clean, floors and windows washed, rooms decorated, etc. She liked fresh air and was not afraid to open the windows especially in our bedroom during any kind of weather. She enjoyed cooking very much and baked all kinds of food. It was such a pleasure to watch her when she was deeply engrossed in her work and how she was able to produce results in a short time. She cooked economically and with regards to healthy eating. Most of her dishes were simple but tasty and nourishing. She was able to organise her work so that everything was ready at the appropriate time. In this she deserves all our praise and appreciation. But she was not only able to prepare the food, she could also serve it well. She would not skip anything, everything had to be in the correct place, clean and tidy. No wonder that we then enjoyed the meals so much and our bodies and souls were flourishing! My wife had to make a great effort to keep the household clean and tidy. She spent a lot of time repairing our clothing, shirts, stockings and socks, which were forever in tatters and it was astonishing how much time she devoted to this activity. She never complained and took it in her stride and did not expect any praise or appreciation. She was also good in making her own clothing on her sewing machine, which was her faithful tool and helper. It was a delight to watch her working so skilfully and achieve first class results. She just liked working and enjoyed it. A special mention must be made of the washing of the clothing which was her sole responsibility after the departure of her sister Bozena. Houses at Jindrichuv Hradec, Most and Prague were equipped with common washing rooms with washing machines, tumblers. They were heated by coal. But the washing was mostly done by hand and it was extremely hard work. Especially the washing of the large pieces, of the bedding sheets etc was very demanding. The washing was dried in the loft of our house. This was later followed by ironing, folding and storing in wardrobes and cupboards. So one can see my wife had plenty to do. Thank God she managed well without a lot of talk. In fact she never enjoyed frequent and long talks, she spoke rather less, but to the point without boasting. Her talk was always correct, accurate and truthful. She did not like people who talked too much and boasters. She hated lies, injustice and incorrectness of all kinds. My wife was a good and tactful companion and although she never spoke too much was popular everywhere. She had a decent and honest aura hanging around her, she never offended anybody, she liked to talk to people who understood her and were sincere and kind to her. She therefore had many friends and, as far as I know, no enemies. She was also prepared to make sacrifices for anybody in need and helped everybody. She never rejected anybody who asked her for help and always tried to oblige. Her life was not easy. As mentioned above, she suffered from our perpetual moves from one place to another, and often she had to overcome difficulties with the supply of food and clothing. To solve this problem, she had to travel either to Drahov or Zruc, therefore quite long distances from Prague. Travelling by rail was very difficult and uncomfortable in those days, the trains were few and far between but lots of travellers. Trains were running packed and often without heating. Drahov and Zruc were some 5 km away from the stations and this was the distance that had to be overcome on foot while carrying the luggage at the same time. My wife always carried out these activities in all weathers. But she never complained and performed the tasks with the help of God. She was a believing Roman Catholic a faith she was brought up in at home and which strengthened her all her life. She liked to attend Sunday masses no matter where she was. She was very musical and was able to sing well. She was interested in orchestral music and whenever she had the opportunity went to listen to philharmonic concerts, for example to the House of Artists (Rudolfinum). She also went, occasionally, to the National or Smetana theatre for the opera. During these performances she always listened attentively and never fell asleep like some others. More often we were able to go together to the nearby cinema and she enjoyed even that providing the film was interesting. Unfortunately the cinemas in our vicinity in Podoli left very much to be desired: they were small, and low and accordingly the ventilation was not good. My marriage lasted 38 years. This was not short but not too long either, certainly I would have liked and enjoyed it if it had lasted at least 10 years more. But we cannot define and limit the length of our lives ourselves according to our wishes. This is given to us by our Lord whose will we must obey with the conviction that His ruling is just, perfect and most wise. Let us kneel in front of Him and proclaim the highest honour and praise to Him. It took us 6 years of moving from one place to another before we finally settled in Prague-Podoli for 32 years. We got used to this place and never wanted to go anywhere else in Prague. Anyhow, it would have been difficult to find a better flat during the war when there was a shortage of housing. Podoli is a beautiful district and is not too far from the centre. It spreads over many hills which give it a picturesque appearance. Its surroundings are also nice. For example Vysehrad, Kavci Hills, Podoli harbour and swimming pool speak for themselves. As I have said before our family attended regularly Sunday masses. We most often went to our parish church at Podoli, situated on the river embankment. It is very small but pleasant and cosy. It is consecrated to Archangel Michael. It is very simple, has one nave built in Romanesque style and is surrounded by an old cemetery which is no longer used for burials. An old wooden bell tower stands nearby. The church is protected as an ancient monument. We also had the possibility to visit the church at Pankrac, consecrated to St.Pankrac. We liked the sermons given by monsignor Tylynek who was an excellent preacher. His parish church was at Nusle and he looked after this church in addition to his own. Both of these were only small churches but friendly. Then I must not forget the monumental cathedral at Vysehrad, consecrated to St.Peter and Paul, which was also not too far from us. Every Sunday there were masses attended by Prague people and accompanied by a choir. We used to go there during big holidays. My wife was modest and thrifty, she did not throw money away. She saved sensibly wherever she could. She always dressed well but was able to maintain our clothing so that it lasted a long time. This was not so easy if we consider that her care and work concerned the whole family, all its members. But she coped well. One has to add the care of children, their education, health, feeding and when they went to school she guided them so that they would do well. With the greatest effort she managed to lead them up to the University level and even there with her care enabled them to pass through the demanding scientific disciplines, Jaro at the Technical High School (University) and Marie at the University, so that they managed complete their studies and graduate in the ancient Hall of the Charles University to the professions of a 'Civil Engineer' and a 'Doctor of Chemistry'. She cared for the children even when their studies were completed and began to work and even later when Jaro and Marie got married. After his marriage, Jaro had lived with the Samsours until such time when they moved to Hodkovicky. Marie lived with us after her marriage with her husband until 1963 when they managed to find their own flat. She helped them substantially when their children Pavel, Jana, Jan(John), Ludmilla and Helen were born and assisted with their upbringing and education and looked after them when they were sick. She embraced a very wide life span and it is wonderful how she managed it all, where she got the energy to do it without respite. She continued in this fashion until the end. Shortly before she was laid down with the inflammation of her leg veins, she and Jana were in Drahov. When they were there they also visited Prusa's at Vlkov and returned on foot back to Drahov over the 'Vienna' railway bridge (this bridge got its name 'Vienna' because it carries a railway track which ultimately ends in Vienna). Soon after they returned to Prague, my wife showed signs of her illness. After their return from Drahov my wife and I and Jana and Pavel went to church at Sporilov for the celebration of the Eucharist. My wife and Pavel went to communion. Pavel and Jana returned home and my wife and I went to our flat to Podoli. The description of my wife's activities would not be complete without the mention of her help and assistance in agriculture and especially in the fields and meadows of her home farm in Drahov, especially during the hay and corn harvests. After the completion of our villa at Drahov she used to move there with the family for the duration of the whole summer. It was very healthy and comfortable for the family to be there. They were free to run in the garden and even outside in the fields towards the ponds and river. Jaro was then 5 years old and Marie 3. Then a few paces away was the Marek's interesting farm, where they kept a lot of fowl and domestic animals, two pairs of fast horses, a lot of cattle etc. It was very lively there all the year round. Our family liked to go there especially when their Grandparents, aunts and uncles paid attention to them and loved them. My wife also liked to go there at least once a day to have a chat with them or to help them with their work. From the farm we then obtained provisions such as milk, eggs, potatoes, etc. All this was very advantageous and interesting for my wife and children. It is therefore hardly surprising that when the family grew up and went to school, they always rushed to Drahov immediately, as soon as there were any holidays. Drahov became part of their heart for the rest of their lives. Imagine the peaceful and calm conditions, such as those which existed at the Marek's farm, without friction and hate, where all lived in harmony, helped each other, visited each other and behaved in a friendly way towards all other people near or far. The whole village lived in a Christian way, respected Sundays and holidays and the faith in Jesus Christ, which they all had, bound them together into one community. Today the situation is different. Even there the Christian faith has subsided especially in the young generations, thanks to the atheistic education at our schools. This is being actively assisted by the elimination of the Christian education from the schools, by the shortage of priests, the closing down of the monasteries, etc. By the virtue of the fact that we had our own house in Drahov since 1936, my wife and the family had it at their disposal for a long time in fact until 1952, when we were obliged to accommodate Mrs Klecandova and captain Chromy there. We had no choice in the matter as the move was ordered officially. They occupied the best part of the villa. Soon after the Prusa family was in difficulties and had nowhere to live and we accommodated them in the remaining parts of the house, with the exception of the small room upstairs. And so we were practically excluded from the house and went there only as visitors. Eventually all these tenants died of old age and our villa has now been in our sole use for the last 4 years. Apart from looking after the family my wife looked after the garden in Drahov and cultivated flowers and vegetables. She liked doing this, she understood how to do it and she managed to produce a lot of useful vegetables some of which we stored in the cellar for the winter. This cellar maintains an equal temperature throughout the year and does not suffer from frost. In 1950s suddenly there was a danger that our villa in Drahov would be confiscated and taken over by the police from Sobeslav. Their intention was to rent it to one of their member who took a fancy to it. Their reasoning was that we did not have a permanent address at Drahov. In order to stop this move by the police my wife sacrificed herself and took up a job in Veseli's factory for drying potatoes and this enabled her to register herself as a permanent inhabitant of our villa. She got away with it because she was now a member of the working class! She had to work shifts, even night shifts and commuted there from Drahov by bus. She worked there one whole season. Her task was to run and operate the boilers used for drying potatoes into a powdery substance. It was an important and responsible job she had. She was liked there by all. The work was miserably paid. But my wife succeeded and the policeman had to go to another house - to Kriz's house. The financial situation of our family was not too good. In order to improve it my wife took up a job in a pension for nurses at Karlovo Square in Prague. Her friend Milka Poslusna (sister-in-law of Uncle Jan from Drahov), whom she knew from her youth worked there as well. My wife was responsible for the washing and ironing of clothes and mainly working overalls. It was again a hard demanding job with poor remuneration. My wife stayed there for a long time until the management judged that she could work better! She then tried to find some other job but without success. She then stayed at home and devoted her time to looking after her grandchildren at Hodkovicky and Sporilov. She found enjoyment in that. She was able to deal with the smallest children very well. They are always lovely with their confidence, sincerity and angel's innocence, so that it is said, quite rightly, that the Kingdom of God is theirs. As members of a railway family we were able to travel comparatively cheaply by train. But we seldom took advantage of this and travelled nowhere except to Drahov and Zruc. But even so my wife managed to see many different places such as Pilsen, Marienbad, Vimperk, Hradec Kralova, Podebrady, Decin, Opava, Hranice, Bratislava, Kosice, Presov, Roznava and others. She travelled overseas only once, shortly before her death. She went to visit Jaro and Roberta in London and their relatives in Edinburgh and Wooler. She went there with her sister Bozena in May 1969. Then in June 1969 she had to go to hospital with an inflammation of the veins in her legs, which was somehow connected with cancer of her abdomen. After a successful operation a crisis occurred resulting in a thrombosis. And this ended her fruitful, rich, noble and God loving life among us. She died at the Internal clinic at Karlovo Square in Prague, on 11th July 1969, and so suddenly, that it was not possible to say good bye to her before her journey to eternity. We are unable to forget her because she is deeply imbedded in our memory. We wish her to rest in peace. We hope that she is accepted by Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of God and trust that we will meet with her one day again and live with her forever in true unspoiled joy. So grant us our Lord in the Highest. Amen. Writing completed on 17th June 1980 , on the day of Jaro's 48th birthday. Ing.Josef Pavel Translated from the Czech by Jaro Pavel Edinburgh 22nd May 1995. Note: Grandfather Ing.Josef Pavel died on 17th June 1992 in his flat at Hrusicka Street 2513, Prague 4 - Sporilov, on the day of Jaro's 60th birthday, after a long and trying illness. He is buried beside his beloved wife Marie, our Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother at the cemetery in Prague 4-Modrany. May the God Almighty save his soul and fulfil his prayers. Explanations:
Jaro and Roberta Pavel |
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