Individual Details

Richard Joseph "Dick" BLAHNIK

(14 Feb 1904 - 24 Feb 1981)

Biography, by Lori Dollevoet, on Find-a-Grave:
Richard was the son of Frank Blahnik and Mary Holub. He spent much of his childhood in DePere where his father worked as a mechanic. His parents moved to Neenah where his father became the town's Blacksmith in about 1920. This was when the shore was on the opposite side of Main Street and people could fish. Bergstrom filled in the area later to build their mill complex. Dick was musical and artistic. He made guitars and drew cartoons. He stood about 5'7" tall and about 160 pounds with blond hair and pale blue eyes. He was 2nd Generation American but full blooded Bohemian by heritage. He spoke Czech with his family but his kids never learned the language.
He met his wife Rose Londre/Landry in Neenah at the corner drug store and soda fountain. They married July 08, 1924 at Neenah, WI St. Mary's Catholic Church. Rose was the daughter of Hubert and Rose (Venne) Londre. The had a set of identical twin girls in 1925 but they both died before 6 months of age. The twins were buried in unmarked graves in Oakhill Cemetery but the cemetery has since lost the record of the burial. Newspaper, funeral home and death certificates do indicate that June and Jeanette are buried there somewhere. The family had two girls that survived to adulthood, Bette Jane (Nickasch) and Joyce (LaCount) Blahnik. They had a son named Richard Jr. who died before 5 months of age in Racine, WI. The family moved a lot and at one point Richard built a home on Winnebago Street in Appleton.
The family returned to Neenah where Richard worked for Kimberly Clark Atlas paper mill as a mill wright. During the depression he was employed at the mill when a huge paper roll fell onto his foot and crushed the arch. There was no disability or unemployment then and Richard was unable to work at the mill. His wife worked out of the home as a seamstress. Richard was very upset about the death of his children and loss of job. He would take off, apparently looking for work, but left the family without saying he was leaving or if he would return. This lead to marital problems. Rose took the two children to Racine to live with her parents and on November 05, 1937 the couple divorced.
Dick was eventually able to return to Kimberly Clark after his foot healed and the depression ended. Because he was divorced, he was drafted into WWII at the age of 38 years. Enlistment Date: 16 Sep 1942. He served as a Private and Stationed at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.
After he was honorably discharged in 1943, he returned to Wisconsin. His father had died in 1942 and Dick had been trying to support his mother and pay child support while he was in the military. When he returned he moved in with his mother, took over mortage payments on the house at 214 Main Street in Neenah and cared for her until her death in 1968. Dick never remarried. He enjoyed fishing and duck hunting and purchased some property on Lake Poygan off of Boom Bay in Winnebago County. He filled in the land and build a cottage on Cut Off Lane.

Events

Birth	14 Feb 1904	Algoma, Kewaunee, Wisconsin, United States
Marriage	8 Jul 1924	Saint Mary's Church, Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin, United States - Rose Melva LONDRE
Divorce	5 Nov 1937	Rose Melva LONDRE
Death	24 Feb 1981	Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin, United States
Burial		Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin, United States