Jitka Mucha, our beloved wife, mother, sister and grandmother, lost her courageous battle with cancer on the afternoon of 3 January 2011. We will never forget her beautiful smile and cheerful laughter, her passion for life, and her love for the outdoors, music and family - especially her granddaughters.
We are all so fortunate to have been part of her life. She will remain forever in our hearts.
Husband Frank
Sister Eva and her husband Jirka
Son Tom and his wife Laura
Son Dan and his wife Laurie
Granddaughters Sophia and Sasha
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Jitka's memory to the World Wildlife Fund here.
Feel free to share your thoughts and memories of Jitka by writing a story or leaving a tribute below.
Tributes
Leave a tributeNorma
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
herveynj@gmail.com
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Norma
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Dear Jitka, On your birthday, I have had to face the loss of many people dear to me from my childhood, our years in NY, MN and now IA making me realize more than ever the pain felt by those who loved you a very special eprson. Spring in Praha is gorgeous and I hope you cherish all those wonderful years in all of your homes when spring arrives and your birthday is remembered. Bless you and yours. Norma
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
herveynj@gmail.com
[alternate: herveynj@luther.edu]
Všichni se měníme ale ty jseš stále stejně krásná v našich s vzpomínkách ty jsi nezestárla!
Moc chybíš!
moc bych tobě a klukům chtěla říct, jak velice nás mrzí, co se stalo. Ani v tom nejhorším snu nikoho z nás nenapadlo,
že by nám Jituška mohla navždy odejít.
Ikdyž jsme si zároveň všichni uvědomovali vážnost té zlé nemoci, jež ji postihla, přesto jsme věřili, že ona
tuto nemoc porazí svou obrovskou a neoblomnou chutí do života, kterou jsme na ní velice obdivovali a milovali.Snad právě
pro tyto krásné vlastnosti nikdo z nás do poslední chvíle nechtěl uvěřit té strašné zprávě, že se ta zlá nemoc vrátila a onu
krutou skutečnost, že už Jitušku neuvidíme, si nejsme schopni připustit dodnes. Moc mě mrzí ta velká vzdálenost, jež je
mezi námi, jelikož bych vás ráda objala a podržela za ruku, neboť v těchto chvílích všechna slova, která teď píšu nemohou
vyjádřit ten velký zármutek, jež cítíme a současně také upřímnou touhu poskytnout vám co největší podporu v této
přesmutné době.
Moc na vás myslíme a máme vás moc rádi!!! Martina Denešová
13. 1. 2011
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
My dear Jitka, Although I did not have the opportunity to know you well, living in your lovely home and reading the tributes to you over these years create a very vivid sense of you and how loved you have been by so many. This will be my last opportunity to acknowledge you as eye problems will not allow me to navigate the memorial site and, very likely, will not long allow me to write. I want to say that your presence in our troubled times would have been a significant contribution not only to your family or your friends but a compassionate person during a pandemic, a political and economic strugge, many tragedies - we all know your compassion would have been a gift to many. As with my husband, even the son we lost in his 20's, and many colleagues and friends, I have to recognize that this era is not an easy time in which to live but that does not relieve our pain in losses.
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Your granddaughter,
Sophia
Každý rok mě Nikolka připomene tebe
Sophia
M
We think of you often when we walk out in the countryside, with the dog or spend time in the garden. Always reflecting on the things we imagine you’d have enjoyed.
Eva&Clem
Your granddaughter,
Sophia
The rest of us miss you! Monica
You are missed.
Monica
Happy Birthday, dear Jitka.
Marvin and Karen Terban
Whenever I’m in the garden or walking in our beautiful country park, I imagine how much you’d enjoy it too.
Tak další rok přešel a stále na tebe nemůžeme zapomenout.
Chybíš!
Eva
Leave a Tribute
Norma
Norma J. Hervey, Ph.D.
Professor of History
herveynj@gmail.com
Our new place
Laura and I sold our first house and we’ve taken our first steps on our path to the countryside. We are renting an apartment in an idyllic spot that I know you would love. We’re overlooking a small fishing lake on the grounds of an ancient country estate on the edge of a quintessential English village. I think of you so often now whenever I look out the window. There are two resident herons fishing in the mornings and evenings. I can just picture your eyes lighting up at their graceful flight around the lake. Each night we go to sleep to the mournful serenade of a tawny owl. There’s even a great crested grebe! I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen one of those. The woods are full of deer and other various critters. Wildlife just surrounds us and I know that would have made you so happy.
About my mother
On August 3rd, 2011, we held a ceremony for my mother in Prerov, Czech Republic – her birth place and now her final resting place. I shared some of these words with the family and friends who joined us.
--
Thanks everyone for being here to mourn, remember and celebrate my mother’s life. I’d like to tell you about her.
She loved life
Everything my mom did demonstrated her love for life.
+ Her smile and cheerful laugh.+ Her relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and even pets (namely Teddy, her yellow Labrador Retriever).
+ Her passion for work. She was a committed teacher who loved her students, and they loved her.
+ She loved traveling. Iceland, Alaska, Hawaii, London, Paris, Prague, the San Juan Islands are a few of her favorite places.
+ Music, opera, the arts. Her favorite Opera, La Traviata, she recently introduced and explained to her granddaughters Sophia and Sasha.
+ Wine and food. Nothing relaxed her more than a glass of wine after a long day at work.
+ Her garden. Some of her happiest times, even while she was sick, were spent gardening.
In her most difficult times during her illness, she remained hopeful, optimistic, forward looking, courageous and cheerful. She simply wanted to live.
She loved the natural world around her
She loved to experience, study and protect the natural world.
+ She experienced the environment through hikes, bird watching and mushroom picking. She loved to do this with family and friends, most recently with Sophia and Sasha.
+ She studied the natural world as a scientist and teacher. She loved reading about nature, animals and evolution. She admired authors like Stephan Jay Gould and Bill Bryson.
+ She wanted to protect the natural world. The work of conservation groups like The Audubon Society, The World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club was important to her.
She loved us
+ She loved my Dad, and everyone who knew them could see that. Their relationship has been a model for me.
+ She loved Tom and me. She took such good care of us, through her last days. She inspired us to be interested in ideas, places and people. I owe so much to her: my curiosity and interests, the quality of my personal relationships, my optimism and confidence, and my capacity to love and be a parent.
+ She was a caring, loving sister, daughter and mother-in-law.
+ My mom adored her granddaughters – Sophia and Sasha. She was well on her way to introducing them to the things to which she introduced me. We will do our best to make sure that she is always a part of their lives.
In the past few years, my mom organized family trips to France and Hawaii – the Hawaii trip for my Dad’s 70th birthday. These were special gatherings that gave us life long memories. These are the types of things she did for us, because she loved us so much.
Saying goodbye
My mom left us too early. As she told my Dad, she had plans and she needed more time.
We had plans with her too:
+ To travel with her even more.
+ To celebrate her 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays.
+ To watch Sophia and Sasha graduate college and get married.
+ To sit around together and just look at each other without saying anything.
+ To love her and to give her more time to love life, the world and all of us.
We miss her and love her very much.
Memories....
In August last year we were visiting Frank and Jitka in their new home in Woodinville. Jitka started to feel better. They had so many plans for the future.
Jitka was so exited with her new garden. Every morning we took a walk around the property. Jitka took daily notes and/or pictures about plants.
We watched the deer and birds eating the raspberries. She was happy to share it all with everybody, her family, friends, birds, deer even the bear.
It was August, almost the end of the summer. We did not know something else would end way to soon.
All we are left with are memories and we thank you for them.
Olda a Maria