Marie Semrad

A Rosary service for Marie Semrad, Waukomis resident, will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, October 10, at Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 am on Friday, October 11 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid. The Reverends Joseph Irwin and Rajesh Mankenna will officiate, assisted by Deacon Tony Crispo. Interment will follow at Waukomis Cemetery under the direction of Ladusau-Evans.

Marie departed this life October 7, 2013. She was born April 5, 1916, in a two-room house on the family farm five miles northeast of Bison to Joseph J. and Anna Marie (Vculek) Fuxa where she grew up.

Marie was baptized when an infant and later confirmed at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bison where she attended Mass with her family. She sang in the choir and was a member of the Young Ladies Singles Sodality. She attended Green Valley, a one-room country school located in the same section as their home, and St. Joseph's Parochial school in Bison.

After a courtship of 2 and ½ years, Marie was united in marriage to Ernest T. Semrad, her beloved companion for life, on June 1, 1938. The Rev. H. B. Mandelartz officiated at the 7:30 am Nuptial Mass at the old St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bison. The wedding, a Czech celebration, lasted all day and ended with a Czech Polka dance that night at the old Country Hall near Bison. Three wonderful sons were born to this union, Myron Leslie, Rodney Ernest and Sidney Eugene.

They made their home on a farm two miles east of Waukomis where they resided all their married life. She enjoyed helping Ernest with all the farm work and with the dairy they had for 53 years. Together they were a hard-working team and Marie was his rock and constant companion. She was a fabulous Czech cook and enjoyed preparing meals for her family and friends. They were married during the Depression and times were hard. Marie made her own laundry soap and carried cistern water to heat for the laundry. They raised chickens and used the “egg money” for groceries, clothes and to help buy their first refrigerator. From the colorful feed sacks she made pillow cases, tea towels, tablecloths and clothes. They also raised geese, ducks, guineas, white turkeys, Shetland ponies, pigs, sheep, and cows they milked by hand.

Marie was a caring lady which reflected in the love and concern she had for her family, her pets and all animals. She loved the outdoors, farm life and the mystical beauty of nature. She enjoyed oil painting, especially landscape, dancing, her friends, her precious grandchildren and great grandchildren, and just staying on the farm. She was a Cub Scout den mother for several years and a member of the Junior Farmerettes Home Extension Club. Marie enjoyed helping the boys with their projects, playing baseball with them and watching them play outdoors.

Marie and Ernest T. were members of Enid Gold Spot Dairy, where they sold cream and milk for many years. They helped organize and were charter members of the Pioneer Rodeo Club, participating in many rodeos and parades with their ponies.

Marie was a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and the altar society, member of the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary and member of the women of the Moose. Marie and Ernest T. were members of the No. 1 Oklahoma Polka Club and the Shirts and Skirts Square Dance Club. They held an office in the Northwest District Square Dance Association for eight years and in 1995 were Visit Nine Chairmen of the State Square Dance Federation. They helped organize and were charter members of the Northwest Oklahoma Country and Western Dance Association.

Ernest T. and Marie were blessed with 74 years of marriage. The couple was honored Nov. 6, 2011 on their 73 years of marriage during a milestone marriage Mass at the Cathedral of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. Archbishop Paul Coakley blessed the couple and presented them with a certificate for being the longest married couple in the diocese.

Marie was pre-deceased by her loving husband, Ernest T. on July 9, 2012, her parents, a brother, Emil E. Fuxa, two sisters, Emma Semrad and Agnes Musil, and step-grandson Danny LeBlanc. She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law; Myron and Marilyn Semrad, McKinney, Texas, Rodney Semrad, Waukomis, Oklahoma, and Dr. Sidney and Angela Semrad, Mesa, Arizona; six grandchildren, Edward, Sally, Rachel, Sean, Holly and Stacy; six great-grandchildren, Braden, Lauren, Miley, Bentley, Kru and Cade. Also surviving is a brother and sister-in-law, Stanley J. and Betty Fuxa, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and many nieces, nephews and friends.