Dorothy J. Veselka

Dorothy Jane Trcalek Marek Veselka, age 90, of Waco, Texas, passed away Monday, May 27, 2024, at Hillcrest Hospital in Waco.

A Mass of Christian Burial, with Father Chris Smith as celebrant, will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, June 3, 2024, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in West, with a reception immediately after at the West Brethren Church, 901 N. Marable St., West, Texas 76691. There will be a visitation and rosary the evening prior to the service, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Sunday, June 2, in the Chapel at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco.

Dorothy was born August 27, 1933, in West, Texas, to Frank and Ella Marek. She grew up in West, and in 1951 she graduated from West High School. On August 9, 1953, she was united in marriage to Louie John Veselka.

Dorothy was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco and had previously been a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bellmead. Additionally, she was a member of SPJST Lodge 66 in Waco.

For five years, Dorothy worked at Connally Elementary in the cafeteria in Elm Mott. She then moved to Alamo Steel in the 1960s, where she worked until her retirement in 1998. Dorothy found joy in dancing Polkas with her husband, watching football, golfing, reading Danielle Steel novels, and solving circle word puzzles. While she had many interests and hobbies, her greatest joy was spending time with her family.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Louie John Veselka, August 22, 2022; her parents, Frank and Ella Marek; her sister, Georgianne Allen; brother, Gilbert Marek; her four brothers-in-law, Adolf Veselka, Gus Veselka, James Frazier and Robert Kasik.

She is survived by her daughter, Diana Engelke and her husband, John of Waco; grandson, Justin Engelke and his wife, Misha of Waco; and two great-grandchildren, Mira and Jackson Engelke. Dorothy is also survived by two sisters, Joyce Johnson and her husband, John of Carrollton, Texas, and Jolynn Kasik of West; her sisters-in-law, Elleen Frazier of Hewitt, and Lillian Marek of West; as well as several nieces and nephews.

We want to thank Accent Care for their services and a special thank you to Crystal, for always being there for Dorothy, you were a very special friend to her.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Dorothy’s name to the SPJST Foundation in Temple. SPJST, Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503.

We invite you to leave a message or memory on Dorothy’s “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.