George Chaloupka

George Frank Chaloupka, 83, of Greers Ferry, Arkansas, passed away November 3, 2018.

Born in Prague Czechoslovakia on March 11th 1935 to Frantisek "Frank" and Marie Chaloupka (Schloger). He became a Naturalized US Citizen on January 2nd 1963 and served his new country through the US Army from 1959 through his honorable discharge on January 31st 1965.

When he was 13, he and his Dad fled Communist ruled Czechoslovakia before they were imprisoned for their political activity and business success. During his 3 years in a refugee camp in Germany he worked in an auto repair shop where he developed auto mechanic skills.

US immigration was limited at the time due to an influx of refugees, health concerns and post war US economic conditions. They immigrated to Brazil with the hope of later being accepted into the US. They took a ship to Rio De Janeiro and then a bus to Sao Paulo where they had friends. In Sao Paulo George found work in a tool and die shop and learned the trade from the workers there. He soon was offered a job as a salesman for tool and die machinery in the region.

At this point he was conversational in his native Czech as well as German and Russian, learned during the occupations of Czechoslovakia, and in Brazil he learned Portuguese. After 7 years in Brazil he and his father were accepted by the US and allowed to immigrate to the United States.
His father traveled to New York City first and George stayed in Brazil to earn more money for his trip. His father told George that NYC was a dirty place and the transition was difficult and that he may want to just stay in Brazil since he had a good job and life there was good. George decided that coming to the US was worth the risk so he spent his savings to make the trip and came to NYC.

In the US he took a job with a Czech immigrant owned business where everyone spoke Czechoslovakian. He also lived in an apartment complex with other Czech immigrants where only Czechoslovakian was spoken. He soon realized that he wasn't learning any English in those environments so found a different job and moved so he could be immersed in his new culture and learn English.

He was eligible for the military draft and in an effort to have some control over his destiny he intended to enlist in the army for 2 years. He was told that his poor English skills would require a 4-year commitment so he could learn English as part of his training. He knew that wasn't a requirement so he enlisted later for 2 years in 1959.
His ability to speak 5 languages, and to understand others based on those skills, helped him to take a passive leadership role within his unit. He could help a variety of European and Hispanic soldiers to communicate and to understand their commands. While only serving actively for 2 years his language skills were of interest to US intelligence so his Honorable Discharge was not issued until 1965.

He eventually moved to the Chicago area which had a large European and Czechoslovakian population where he became reacquainted with the Vozenilek family and Mary Vozenilek whom he knew from the German refugee camps. They were married while George served in the US Army and in 1960 their son Peter was born while serving at Fort Hood. After he left Fort Hood they returned to Cicero, Illinois to settle down where he worked as a tool and die maker.

George actually quit a job to take his young family on an epic 8-week vacation that went through the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, California, Arizona and back to Chicago where he had enough money left to pay the rent, buy groceries and look for his next job. He was always adventurous. I guess being a refugee makes you that way.

George and Mary later divorced and George passed through Arkansas on a 70-degree day in February. He had planned on ending up in California but the beautiful February day in Arkansas convinced him to stay and to find a job to see how he liked it. He found a job at Timex and met Victoria Ann Morris who also worked there. They were soon married and George adopted her son Jimmy Van. George and Vickie bought a small farm in Lonoke County and later bought a larger farm from the Lynch family just outside of Beebe. Their son Terry Frank was born as they worked towards improving the farm and making it into a business that would support their children through college and support them through retirement.

George was able to retire early after selling the farm and he and Vickie purchased a house and property in the Velvet Ridge area where they split their time between their house on Greers Ferry lake. They eventually sold the house at Velvet Ridge but kept a majority of the land. After Vickie's death from a battle with cancer George became closer to a friend of the family Wanda Wallis-Olson. George and Vickie were close friends with Wanda's parents, their neighbors, Wayne and Ruth Bevill.

George and Wanda became close friends, business associates, advisers and dearly close companions. They were together until his death and she helped him to live as full and as normal a life as possible as his lung condition lead to a heart condition and ultimately his death. His goal was to stay out of a situation where his children or hired help or an institution had to help him and to live as independently as possible. Wanda was able to help him do that.

His life will be forever cherished by his surviving family; sons Pete Chaloupka (Sharon), Jimmy Chaloupka (Elaine), Terry Chaloupka (Kelly) and his grandchildren Blake and Abbie. Mary Chaloupka and Wanda Wallis-Olson.

Family will receive friends from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Tuesday with Rosary at 7:00, at Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe. Funeral Mass will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 7, 2018, at St. James Catholic Church in Searcy, with burial in Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home. www.smithfamilycares.com