Alice Benda Cerny

Alice (Elizabeth) Benda Cerny, 95, of Bettendorf, Iowa passed away on Friday, August 3, 2007 at the Iowa Masonic Health Facility in Bettendorf.
A service to celebrate Alice’s life will be held at 12:00 P.M. Monday, August 13, 2007 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Chapel, Bettendorf. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Monday at the funeral home.
Alice was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1911, the only daughter of Czechoslovakian immigrants, Joseph and Annie Rose (Hayek) Benda. Alice graduated from Davenport Central High School and A.I.C. in Davenport. She married John Miloslav Cerny in 1934. Alice worked for the J. I. Case Company in Bettendorf in the payroll department for 25years, retiring in 1977.
Alice had a blessed and rich life. She loved her family more than anything and her Czech heritage was apparent in her daily life. Alice was an excellent baker and cook and took great pride and joy in cooking for her family every Sunday in earlier years. Best known for making Houska, a Bohemian bread and her delicious goulash and dumplings, Alice could always be found in her kitchen preparing something for her family and friends. She was also an avid knitter, making sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens for her granddaughters when they were young.
Alice loved to travel and made six trips to visit her extended family in Czechoslovakia. She also took each of her granddaughters to Europe as well as her son and daughter-in-law. Fluent in Bohemian, Alice was an excellent translator during their visits. Each summer, Alice drove to Colorado to visit cousins and their families. She was truly dedicated to her family.
Her memberships included Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf and the King’s Daughters.
Alice is survived by her son, John Robert Cerny and daughter-in-law, Betty Kay Moline Cerny of Bettendorf; her four granddaughters, Kimber Lee (Albert) Delorenzo of Tucson, Arizona, Julie Cerny (John) Moran of Davenport, Cynthia Sue (R.T.) Flewellyn of Cummings, Iowa and Nancy Kay Cerny of Pleasant Valley, Iowa; seven great-grandchildren, Tyler and Danielle DeLorenzo, Matthew, John (Jack) and Michael Moran, Caitlyn and Caden Flewellyn; nephew, Joe (Rusty) Benda of Davenport and Grace Wilmot Moline.
She remained very close with relatives in the Czech Republic, the Dzenda Krcek family (Pizen), Kveta Benda (Czech Budejovice) and Dagmar (Benda) Jones (Berkshire, England), Eva (Skaredik) Prager-Gromonova and family (Uhersky Brod), Marie Stropnicka (Pisek) as well as many cousins in Colorado, the Ondruseks, Meiers and Novaks and their extended families in Montana, Chuck and Sally Cerny, David T. Suchomel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Additionally, her cousin and dear friends, Evelyn (Bubbles) Hayek Bachelder, Mel Claussen, JoAnn Moss, Mrs. Prosser, Eulalia Doyle and Beth Zahner.
Alice was preceded in death by her husband, John Miloslav Cerny; her parents, Joseph and Annie (Hayek) Benda; her three brothers, Joseph, Carl and Frank Benda; a beloved sister-in-law, Margaret Ann (Fulton) Benda; and recently, her first cousin, Kveta (Benda) Krcekova (Plzen, Czech Republic).
The family wishes to thank JoDonna Loetz and the special caregivers at the Iowa Health Facility for their love and kindness in caring for Alice.
Special thanks to pallbearers including Donald Seitz, Ronald Rickman, Roger Moler, Ronnie Prahl, John Moran and R. T. Flewellyn. Honorary pallbearers include Albert Delorenzo, Melvin Claussen, Joe Benda, Phil Phillips, Rudy Casas, and Jim Humphreys. Celebration gifts for Alice may be directed to Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf, Iowa.