Mildred "Millie" Nedved (Van Cleave), 97

Mildred (Kostrunek) Nedved was born at home by a midwife on March 29, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska. She was the eldest of four children, born to Bohumil and Ludmila (Hostek} Kostrunek who immigrated to the USA from Czechoslovakia. Their names were Americanized to Godfrey and Lillian. Godfrey, age 14, entered the United States through Texas as his father brought him over with some of his siblings, then the father returned to Czechoslovakia. Lillian entered the US at age 22 through Ellis Island and went to live with her brother Frank Hostek in Montana. Lillian didn't appreciate the cold weather of Montana and she heard there were a lot of Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska so she moved there. Godfrey moved to Omaha as well, as he didnt care for living in Texas. Lillian and Godfrey were married October 13, 1923 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Mildred started kindergarten at Jungeman's school only speaking Czech and brought home the English language to her siblings and parents. In the fourth grade, Mildred started taking gym classes and bohemian school at the South Omaha Sokol so she would be able to read and write the Czech language. While attending the Bancroft School in the 7th grade, she was chosen with four other classmates to advance to 8th grade due to excellent grades. When her dad Godfrey, lost his job during the depression they were put on relief, Mildred remembered their furniture being thrown out in the street. Lillian's mother from Czechoslovakia sent money so the family survived, but in return for the money one of Lillian's four children had to come to Czechoslovakia to work in their hardware store. Mildred and her sister, Lil, saw through this trick and didn't want to leave their friends in the USA, but their younger sister Marie, only 11, was promised a bicycle and a sewing machine so she went to live with her grandparents. Mildred would write letters to her sister in English and then on the back side of the letter she would write in Czech so they could communicate better as Mildred feared her sister would lose the English language entirely. World War II broke out and the letters from Marie stopped. They hadn't heard from Marie in four years and they were really worried about her. The family wrote to the Red Cross and the state attorney concerning her whereabouts and finally Marie came home. She was 11 when she left, and returned to the USA at age 18. By this time, Millie had graduated from South High School in 1941. She went to comptometer school and had been working at the Dominion Meats Provision Company for a whole $12.50 per week and started going by the name of Millie.
Millie met the love of her life, Otto Nedved, at Sokol Hall in 1947. As she scouted the room, she thought, "There's only one guy here that I want to take me home". Suddenly the guy asked her to dance saying he was Otto Nedved. {In Czech medved means bear.} She responded by saying "Oh a dancing bear!" They married in 1950 and four children were born from this union, Larry, Gary, Darlene, and Dennis. She reentered the working world in 1964 and began working nights at the First National Bank and stayed with them until she retired in 1986.
Unfortunately Otto passed away in 1978 and Millie was single again until she met Everett Van Cleave at a dance in the fall of 1988. Apparently Everett's Dad began dancing with Millie but Everett won her over. They were married on June 17, 1989 at Sokol Hall. Millie inherited 4 more grown children with her second marriage. Everett was also a wonderful dad and grandpa to Millie's children as well. They loved polka dancing, belonged to six clubs, traveled to conventions, and managed to attend numerous events of their grandchildren. They enjoyed 19 years of marriage as Everett died on October 1, 2008. Her son, Denny, took over and cared for her the last 14 years of her life. She began life on March 29th, and her life ended on March 29th, 2021.

Millie was preceded in death by husbands Otto Nedved and Everett Van Cleave; sister Lillian Lucas; and brother Emil Kostrunek.

Survivors include her children Larry (Susan), Gary (Christie), Darlene (John) Steindl, and Dennis (Sharon); numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren; sister Marie (Henry) Sykora; numerous nieces and nephews

"Miluji tě Dobrou Noc"
(I love you goodnight)



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