Maria Zezulka Riha

Maria Zezulka Riha died peacefully on November 10, 2011 in Carrollton, Texas. Born on October 19, 1913 in Moravia, Maria lived through World War I, the Depression, World War II and the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. She married Jaroslav Riha in 1935 and they had 3 children, a son George who died in infancy, and daughters, Eva and Georgina. They escaped from Czechoslovakia through the Iron Curtain in 1950 and spent a year in a refugee camp in Austria before receiving political asylum in Australia. After 7 years they emigrated to the USA and settled in San Antonio, Texas. Maria became a US citizen in the mid-1960s. In 1992 Maria moved to the Dallas area to be closer to her family. She was preceded in death by her husband and all her siblings except her sister Wendy Kent who lives in Pennsylvania. Maria’s life revolved around her family both here and in Europe and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a constant source of joy to her. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, a loyal friend and a faithful Christian. Throughout her life her Church was a source of comfort and strength for her as she placed her trust in her Lord. She is survived by her daughters, Eva Hahn and husband Herbert H. Hahn, M.D., Georgina Brand and her husband Thomas E. Brand, (Col. USAF, ret.); her grandchildren, Carla Clardy and husband Mark, Christopher Hahn and wife Sarah, Catherine Prochko and husband Mike, Steven Hahn and wife Julie, John Brand and wife Ashley and Paul Brand; her great-grandchildren, Anna-Maria, Eve, Alex, Benjamin, and James Clardy, Reagan, Rachel, and August Hahn, Austin, Veronika, Travis, and Gabriel Prochko, and Hudson and Landon Hahn. We already miss you, Baci! A memorial Mass will be held on Monday, November 14, 2011 at 2 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1705 E. Peters Colony Rd., Carrollton, TX 75007. Her ashes will be interred in the family plot in the Czech Republic. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the White Rose Women’s Center, 4313 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75205.