Julie Halek Kloess

Julie Halek Kloess was born September 9, 1921 to Vaclav and Anna Tobermanova Halek on a small farm in Mecholupy, Czechoslovakia. At age six the family moved to Pilsen. In March 1938, Germany occupied the Czech lands.

The occupiers decreed that all born from the year of her birth 1921, were to be sent to Germany for slave labor in factory, farm or hotel work. She was detailed to work Dresden hotels, and on February 13, 1945 at 8:00 p.m. came the announcement, American and British planes were coming to bomb. Julie stayed in basement tunnels to survive the fire bombs as the city burned, going from house to house underground as the streets literally melted and fire entered. 90,000 people died that night.

A man, her "Angel", stepped through a hole into a church basement leading some 200 people to the river water to keep from burning. When the air raid had ceased in the incredible confusion they found a train leaving and they lay hidden in the coal car to escape, arriving eventually in France.

In 1945, Julie and her friend worked in a camp for German prisoners manned by Polish guards. She met an American Colonel, Dr. Godil, who helped her get work in the American hospital there. Julie says they had a choice of working with Americans or Russians. They were fearful, but chose the Americans though all they knew about Americans were the Chicago gangsters from the movies. All of their belongings and documents were destroyed, they needed to get back to Munich where she met American Dr. Edward Kloess and his associate Roger Saunders.

In time, Dr. Kloess asked her to marry him; she felt there was too much age difference – 20 something years. She instead married his best friend, Roger Saunders and Dr. Kloess was their "best man", who eventually married her girlfriend. Roger went from Army to Air Force in Titan missile work and they moved to the United States first to Arkansas, then Kansas and eventually to Denver, Colorado with the Strategic Air Command. Her husband traveled to Japan and after eight days there he died of a heart attack at the age of 45. She took a job as a surgical secretary, in the Intensive Care Unit of Denver General Hospital where she worked 24 ½ years; buying a home, alone in a new country and needing to be self-sufficient.

In 1985, Dr. Kloess called after his wife died, asking to visit her. He said, "40 years ago you didn't want me, but marry me now." She did in 1986. She moved to Bellville, Illinois, his home. Retired, he had served 32 years as an Air Force physician, living there until 1992, after which they moved to San Antonio where he had many retired Air Force friends. In 1993, her second husband died.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, sister, Roger Saunders and Edward Kloess. She is survived by Zdenka Zichova, Vaclav Halek, and Vera Machova, nieces and nephew, numerous great-nieces and nephews, friends Michael Moretti, Dee Wright and others from her church and USAA Towers.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, March 9th at 10:00 AM in the Main Post Chapel (Gift) at Fort Sam Houston. Private burial will be in the Czech Republic at a later date.