Darlyne Houdek

Darlyne Roberta Houdek, age 96, of Willmar, died Monday evening, March 23, at Bethesda PleasantView Nursing Home in Willmar.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, at the Church of St. Mary in Willmar. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. www.petersonbrothers.com

Darlyne was born April 29, 1918, in Jefferson, Iowa, the daughter of Ora L. and Edith M. (Millard) Smith. Her parents moved to Minnesota when she was two years old. She attended rural school in Renville County. After graduation, she attended teacher's training and taught at rural schools near Bird Island and Olivia and later in Chippewa and Swift counties. She married Jerome J. Houdek on September 6, 1938 in Bechyn, Minnesota. To this union were born five children, Richard, Gordy, Jeanne, Larry and Loren. After rural schools consolidated, Darlyne retired from teaching and then worked at the Willmar Regional Treatment Center for 25 years, retiring in 1980. Darlyne was a member of the Church of St. Mary and was active in Senior Citizens. Her interests included family, crafts, cooking, baking, gardening, camping and reading. She also enjoyed traveling and old-time dancing.

She is survived by four children, Gordy (and Karen) Houdek of Lake Lillian, Jeanne (and Virgil) DeGrote of Raymond, Larry (and Lynette) Houdek of Rochester and Loren Houdek of Kandiyohi; twenty-five grandchildren; thirty-six great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren. Also surviving is one brother, Robert (and Merle) Smith of Olivia; two sisters, Vava Jensen of Lincoln, Nebraska and Ramona Wright of Osakis; and one daughter-in-law, Mary Jane Houdek of Willmar, besides other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jerome in 1988; her son, Richard in February of 2015; two sisters, Vera and Thelma; one brother, Wendall Smith; and special friend, Henry Ruter.

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