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~Kay Pavlicek~
SHINER: Frances Kay Petras Pavlicek was born on July 15, 1948 in Shiner, Texas. She was named after her Great Aunt Frank, but everyone knew her as Kay. She grew up in the Dilworth area, on family land passed down from the original Mexican land grant, with brother Tim and sister Debbie. Her parents, Clement E. and Mildred Cluiss Petras, were a rancher and a tax accountant. Kay was a tomboy at heart, who treasured being outside as much as possible. And although she was an excellent student, she didn’t care for school, especially the long bus ride to Gonzales. The subject she enjoyed most was typing, where she even competed in U.I.L. competitions. In 7th grade, she also made many memories with the Apache pep squad, called The Orange Jackets. After graduating in 1966, she went on to college at Southwest Texas State University where she got her Education degree, specializing in English. In 1967, Tim introduced her to one of his co-workers, O.D. Pavlicek. Through evenings of motorcycle rides, picture shows, fishing, and dancing, a romance began that led to their marriage on July 4, 1970. Kay taught school in Gonzales for one year before she and O.D. moved to Shiner, and she began assisting her mother in the new accounting office she’d opened there. They became involved at Shiner Baptist Church, where Kay met many lifelong friends and worked as secretary for several of the pastors throughout the years. She especially loved teaching the kids in Sunday school. In 1983, O.D. and Kay opened "O.D.’s Insurance Agency", where Kay switched to working full-time, first as a secretary, and later becoming an agent herself. Her favorite part of the job was getting to meet so many different people from Shiner and beyond. One of Kay's greatest delights in life was her daughter, Gina Danae Pavlicek. Kay read a book to Gina almost every day of her life, even as a newborn. They treasured quality time, whether it be going on a walk in the country, working on a puzzle, watching a Hallmark movie, or going on an out-of-town adventure. Kay was such an encouraging, supportive, loving mother, and lifelong friend. She was the kind of mother who showed up for everything, with a proud smile on her face. She also never let a phone call end without voicing her love. At the age of 47, she began work on a Masters degree in Library Science from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Due to distance, she often had to wake up at 4 A.M. in order to reach her classes on time. She was very committed and achieved a 4.0 GPA. However, her studies were cut short by a breast cancer diagnosis in 1996, and she was unable to complete her degree program or fulfill her midlife dream of becoming a librarian. Upon hearing from her doctor that she likely wouldn’t live long, her father told her to think of this as an adventure, and that's what she set out to do. Unbeknownst to many people, Kay would go in and out of remission for the next thirty years, with her cancer eventually spreading to the bones, skin, liver, lungs, and finally brain. Time and again, she outlived her life expectancy, proving many doctors wrong, and demonstrating tremendous courage and determination. She may have seemed like a quiet person to many, but she had an incredible fighting spirit. Kay was adventurous as well, and enjoyed travel, especially when their work earned her and O.D. various free trips throughout the years. Some favorites included visiting Aruba, St. Thomas, Cozumel, and Lake Tahoe. She and O.D. also shared a love for gardening, and for many years they managed a large vegetable garden that fed not only their family but many others in Shiner. Organic gardening was very important to Kay, especially given her health journey, and she often spent her free time learning how to improve upon her natural gardening skills. She loved flowers as well, so in the 1980’s she started planting them in various beds in downtown Shiner, which expanded through the years and continued until her health made that impossible. Kay later gained a new community of friends and believers when she became a member of Impact Ministry in Shiner. This group of believers would love and support her so well throughout the years, not only with prayers and encouragement, but actively serving and helping her in various times of need, including physical caregiving through many of the most difficult times. They truly became like a second family to her. In 2012, Kay unexpectedly lost O.D. to a sudden stroke, but she gained a faithful son-in-law, when Gina married Ben Killmer on August 9, 2013. Kay would go on to have four grandchildren: Caleb Christopher (2015); Nathan Alexander (2016); Madison Grace (2018); and Cora Joy (2020). Kay relished her newfound title “Gram” and spent as much time as possible with her grandchildren. She often got down on the floor with them to read countless books, and she taught them all of her favorite games. Most of all, she poured her love into them, and they adored her. Kay began driving to Victoria weekly in 2014 for ballroom dancing lessons and parties, which had been another lifelong dream. She gained a whole new group of friends and community, and thoroughly enjoyed this newfound hobby for years, until Covid brought it to an end. Since Kay had only lived in old farmhouses her whole life, she longed for a newer home, where she could sit on the porch with friends and neighbors, and be hospitable without reservation. While it seemed impossible after O.D. passed away, Ben and Gina helped her revive that dream, and after many years of planning, work began in 2021 on a new home, which incorporated everything that she’d envisioned over the years. In the Fall of 2022, as the project neared completion, Kay was suddenly hospitalized at MD Anderson in Houston with pneumonia-like symptoms and persevered through nearly three months of close-calls and rehabilitation. Among other things, the thought of wanting to live in the new home that she’d been dreaming of for a lifetime, and then working on for years, kept her fighting. She began to refer to her home and land as “Kaynnan,” her very own promised land from God. To the surprise of many, she was eventually able to leave the hospital and moved directly into her new home. And through many months of dedicated work and therapy and support from others, she once again regained her ability to walk, drive, and live independently. And with porches on front and back, she welcomed as many people to visit with her as possible. Her favorite cat, Charley, would often jump on her lap and relax in the peacefulness as well. While she lived a life full of beauty and hardship, Kay would say the most important thing to her was Jesus, and she treasured the Word of God, the Bible. She was a woman of strong faith and a woman who believed in the power of prayer. When hard times would come, Kay would often encourage us that “this too shall pass” … and after her long battle with cancer, her words once again became true as Kay was ushered into her heavenly home on Wednesday, November 6th, a little after 6:00 A.M. Kay, Mom, Gram … you will be dearly missed, but we rest in the hope that we will see you again and that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Kay is survived by her daughter, Gina and son-in-law Ben Killmer of Frisco; grandchildren Caleb, Nathan, Madison, and Cora Killmer of Frisco; brother Clement R. "Tim" Petras and wife Betty of Gonzales; and sister-in-law Connie Pavlicek of Stafford. She is preceded in death by her husband Kenward "O.D." Pavlicek, parents Clement E. and Mildred Petras, sister Debbie Feigle, and nephew Bryan Petras. Visitation 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, November 15, 2024 at Thiele Cooper Funeral Home in Yoakum, Texas Funeral services 1:30 p.m., Saturday, November 16th at Thiele-Cooper Funeral Home, with Pastor Mona Martin officiating. Burial to follow at Stonewall Cemetery. Pallbearers are Clint Petras, Dwayne Petras, Dalton Petras, Dustin Petras, Ty Petras, and Jason Feigle. Memorial contributions may be given to Impact Ministry or Stonewall Cemetery. Arrangements by Thiele Cooper Funeral Home, 361-293-5656. |