Dorchester's Josie Slama Passes At 101; Services Wednesday

Dorchester's Josephine “Josie” Slama, 101, passed away on June 1, 2018, just a month short of her 102nd birthday. 

She was born on July 8, 1916, on a farm south of Pleasant Hill, Nebraska to Frank and Christie (Sipek) Belohlavy. She attended grade school in Pleasant Hill by walking over a mile across fields, sometimes crying from the cold. There were times during stormy weather her teacher didn’t come. The janitor would then start a fire so she could warm up before sending her back home. She attended Swanton High School and later graduated from Crete High School in 1933. 

Her future husband, Joe Slama, first asked her for a dance at the Cinderella Ballroom in Crete, but the music ended before they got to dance. Soon after, Joe drove to her farm and asked her to a dance near Columbus. They married in 1939 and eventually bought and moved to a farm south of Dorchester. In 1942 she gave birth to a son, Richard, in a house that wasn’t finished. There was no electricity or running water, yet she managed to make a great home for the family. There was the cow to milk each morning, large garden to care for, chickens to be butchered, eggs to pick, vegetables and fruit to be canned, jams to make, clothes to wash by hand, and sometimes soap and butter were made. 

At certain times during the year, there was hay to be made and she was the one that insured the 20 foot high haystack was built correctly so it would stand into the winter. She also helped pick corn by hand and stack bundles of oats. But there was always time to attend a dance at Tabor Hall, ZCBJ lodge No. 74, where she was a lifelong member, receiving her 50-year pin in 1989 and honorary membership in 2012. 

Shortly after marriage, she joined the newly formed Jes’Tus Extension Club and was an active member until the club ended in the 1970s. The 40 or so homemakers were devoted to learning the latest information provided by UNL Extension on cooking, sewing, and the many other skills homemakers needed. When the weather made roads impassable by car, they would use horses and wagon to meet at members’ homes. 

Her second son, Gene, was born in 1947. The Jes’Tus club then became more important to her than ever. She also became a member of the Dorchester Methodist Church. In the 1950’s she helped start and lead the Pleasant Hill 4-H club.  She specialized in entomology helping several youth get trips to 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. For retirement, Joe and Josie moved to Dorchester in 1970. One thing she enjoyed in retirement in the 70s was making and painting pairs of owls. Over 40 families received these owls and some still have them hanging in their homes. 

Her husband died in 1999 after almost 60 years of marriage. Josie then spent her days in Dorchester enjoying time with friends, gardening, and helping Gene maintain records of his purebred herd of Simental cattle. Eventually she broke a hip from a fall and spent the last couple of years in Tabitha of Crete, where she enjoyed time with the staff and other residents. 

She is survived by her sons and daughter-in-law, Richard and Dianne (Whittington) Slama of Lincoln and Gene Slama of Dorchester; grandchildren Mark, David, and Todd Slama and Michelle (Slama) Brummer; and seven greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Joe; parents; and brothers Robert and Joe Belohlavy and sister Anna Urban. 

Services will be Wednesday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at Kuncl Funeral Home with Pastor John Slama officiating. Soloist is Tim Javorsky. 

Visitation will be on Tuesday from 5 - 8 p.m. at the funeral home.  Memorials are to the American Diabetes Association. 

Interment: Wilber Czech Cemetery. Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete is in charge of arrangements.

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