Thomas Edward Kohanek (1885-1949)
In 1885 Dakota Territory, a land later to become known as Steele County, North Dakota, Ted was born a
first-generation American. He was named 'Tofel' and baptized 'Theophile Philip Kohanek.' The same year,
Ted was recorded in the 1885 census with his parents, Anthony and Rose, and his two-year-old
brother William. The census-taker wrote down Ted's age as 1/12 (one month old) and born in MN -- it is
entirely possible that he was born in MN, and his family moved to Dakota Territory after his birth
but just before the census-taker recorded them less than one month later on June 1 of 1885.
Later on, Ted would be found in the 1900, 1920, and 1930 censuses.
As a young man, Ted went to Alaska to dig for gold. In either 1917 or 1918,
while living in Nome, Alaska, he registered for WWI Civilian Draft along with 24 million men,
98% of the men present in America at that time. At the age of 34, while still in Alaska, Ted was
reported in the 1920 census as an Electrician in Telephone industry.
Ted moved back to Minnesota between 1920 and 1930--during the 1930 census he was living at
2603 17th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, with his mother Rose, his sister Anna,
and Anna's husband Leslie Ernst. Probably he was unemployed at that time, as as no occupation was
mentioned on the census. In 1937 his mother Rose died, and Ted was listed in her obituary as living in
Minneapolis; his exact address is unknown, but he could have been living with his mother. This would seem
logical since Rose always had various children living with her.
Between 1937 and 1939 Ted married widow Katherine Flijeck Hlavacek and lived for a time on
28th Street and Cedar Ave in Minneapolis. Ted and
Katherine had no children together, although Katherine had four children from her first marriage.
At the time of Ted's death in 1949 he was
working as a maintenance man for the Chicago,
Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific RR, and lived in St. Louis Park with his wife. His obituary appeared
as follows:
The Minneapolis Star on Friday, Aug. 26, 1949, page 33, column 2:
Kohanek, Theodore E., age 64 years of 3948 Webster Ave., St. Louis Park. Survived by his wife Katherine;
brothers William and Joseph of Minneapolis, Robert of Seattle, and John of Remer, Minn; sisters
Mrs. Marie Edwards of Long Beach, Mrs. Leslie Ernst of Los Angeles, Mrs. Chas. O'Malley and Mrs. Van Epps
of Minneapolis. Funeral Sat. 8 a.m. at Most Holy Trinity Church. Rosary 8 p.m. Friday at Gleasons,
2644, Nicollett So.
Interment at Lakewood Cemetery.
Ted is buried beside his wife Katherine who died four years after him and is buried between
Ted and her first husband, Albert F. Hlavacek, who died in 1917, and three of hers and Albert's
daughters and spouses.
Thomas |
Katherine |
Hlavacek Family Plot |
Thank You to the following kind people whose contributions are priceless:
Auralea Hupp; Pamela Kotval,
a relative of Katherine Flijeck whom I 'met' on the internet and who took the headstone photos at
Lakewood Cemetery for me; www.ancestry.com.