Obituary for Donovan Mark Stehlik
Services for Donovan Mark Stehlik, 88, will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at the funeral home. Friends will be received from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the funeral home before the services. Burial will be in Western Reserve Memorial Gardens.Mr. Stehlik passed away peacefully in his sleep Oct. 18, 2013, at Homestead II Nursing Home in Painesville.Born Aug. 29, 1925, in Rochester, Minn., to Frank and Olga Marie (Peterson) Stehlik, he was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving aboard the battleship USS South Dakota during World War II. The South Dakota was moored next to the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where the peace treaty was signed.After the war, he returned to Minnesota and married Gertrude Irene Jensen in May of 1950. They divorced in 1964. He remarried in August 1977 to Dorothy Helen Brunz, and lived in Fort Pierre, S.D., where he retired as a custodian from Stanley County Elementary School. Before that, he had worked for 19 years at Firestone Tire Company, where he repaired tires on heavy equipment.Donovan was a gentle man and had one of the nicest smiles. He enjoyed family, gardening and working around the house. He was a member of the Eagles and American Legion.Survivors include his children, Donovan (Jeanne) of Perry, David (Patty) of Aurora, Cindy (Tom) Rose of Madison and Sandra Kay (John) Terry of Riverview, Fla.; five grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his son, Wayne, and Wayne''s wife, Patti; both wives, Gertrude and Dorothy Helen; three brothers, Leslie, Franklin and Clifford; and two sisters, Mary Newman and Emily Weathers.Contributions may be made to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 316 Fifth St., Fairport Harbor, OH 44077. >>