Dorothy Jean Kluck's Obituary
In the early morning hours of December 1, Dorothy Jean Zrubek Kluck passed away in Richardson, Texas, after an extended period of declining health. She was 89.
Dorothy will be remembered by those close to her as a loving wife, a dedicated mother, and a faithful friend. She also was a dear daughter, sister, grandmother, and aunt. Dorothy was a keeper of traditions, a humble servant of Jesus Christ, and a lover of the beauty and power of nature as an expression of the Lord's grace and majesty.
Born in Jarrell, Texas, on November 9, 1932, Dorothy was the second of seven children of William and Ludmilla Slavik Zrubek. She started school in Jarrell, then attended Palacky, a country school west of Granger, and graduated from Granger High School in 1950. Dorothy moved to Dallas to attend Draughon’s Business College and then worked as a secretary for the Adleta Corporation for more than a decade. She met and fell in love with a physicist, Wallace “Wally” Kluck, and the two married in 1961 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
In 1963, the young family moved to Richardson and became parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. Dorothy took delight in providing a happy home for Wally and their children Wallace Andrew “Andy”, Diane Renee, and Steven Anthony. In a nod to Wally’s Wisconsin roots, she added strawberry-rhubarb pie to the dessert menu. Her fig jam was a winner and she always fixed special black-eyed peas for good luck in each new year. Dorothy enjoyed gardening, with a “green thumb”, and had great success growing African violets. As an astute observer of bird life, she knew the appearances, sounds, and behaviors of all the winged visitors. True to her love of nature, phone conversations with Dorothy would begin with a discussion about the weather.
Growing up on a farm during the Great Depression taught Dorothy lessons not only on conserving resources but also on generosity, as modeled by her mother providing food to weary and hungry road travelers who stopped at their door. She combined a humble spirit with a devotion to the Lord, her family and friends, and the community. Dorothy served as a member of the St. Paul Women’s Guild, the Richardson Newcomers, and as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She also devoted many years to the Friday visiting ministry to the Village Skilled Nursing Facility in Richardson.
Dorothy was predeceased by her husband Wallace, parents William and Ludmilla, brother William “Bill”, baby sister Beatrice, brothers-in-law J.L. Brown, Leo Braun, and Fritz Kluck, and sisters-in-law Leona Pire and Louise Mische.
Dorothy is survived by sons Andy and Steven, daughter Diane Bilby, daughter-in-law Pattie Lambright Kluck, son-in-law Curt Bilby, sisters Georgia Braun and Mary Alice Brown, brothers James and Henry, sisters-in-law Marcia Zrubek and Linda Zrubek, granddaughters Rose Kluck and Sarah, Mary Grace, and Jane Bilby, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews, and a host of cousins.
May she rest in the peace of Christ.
Special thanks go to St. Paul the Apostle Church, to the staff of Christus St. Joseph's Village, and to Nora Diaz. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Richardson on December 28 at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that donations be made to the church (www.saintpaulchurch.org).
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