Louis William Sladek
November 10, 1931 — February 6, 2017
Louis William Sladek
November 10, 1931 - February 6, 2017
Louis William Sladek, 85, of Amarillo died on Monday, February 6, 2017. Life Celebration will be at 10:00 am, Friday, February 10, 2017 at Trinity Lutheran Church with Senior Pastor Brian Hesse officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park cemetery with Military Honors by Volleys for Veterans. Arrangements are by LaGrone Blackburn Shaw Coulter Road Chapel, 8310 S. Coulter.
Louis was born to Louis H. and Emily (Beckman) Sladek on November 10, 1931 in Chicago. He was raised on the South side of Chicago and graduated from Chicago Vocational School. After graduating, he worked for the Short Line Railroad Company. He worked for Republic Steel Company until he could enlist in the United States Air Force in 1951. The Air Force sent him to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for basic training. He was later transferred to the air base in Amarillo, where he attended the jet engine school and became an instructor in aircraft maintenance until being discharged in 1955. After his release, Louis started working at the Asarco plant while taking a course in radio and television at Amarillo College. Upon completion of the course, he worked for Nunn Electric, Clack Radio and T.V. and A-1 T.V.. In 1969, he began the job of Zenith Technician at Amarillo Hardware Company and worked there for twenty years. He also taught night classes on radio and television repair at Amarillo College for four years during this time. Louis also attended Zenith classes in Chicago and then came back and held seminars for the television repairmen in the Panhandle. After leaving Amarillo Hardware, he worked for M.L. Evans and then Tarpley Music where he repaired organs until retiring at the age of sixty five. Louis married Betty Hutcherson in 1955 and they had five children. In 1983, he married Colleen Fritz.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Rudy and Paul Sladek, a sister, Virginia Golladay and a son Jimmy.
He is survived by his wife, Colleen; four children, Roxanne (Ken) Cochran, Julie (David) Helton, Tim (Jessica) Sladek, and Sabrina Webb; five step children, David (Minji) Fritz, Saralee (Lyle) Petersen, Terry (Melissa) Fritz, Carmalee Smith and Byron (Angelina) Fritz; a sister, Florence Green; twenty three grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggest donations to the Kwahadi Indian Dancers, 9151 I-40, Amarillo, TX 79118 or Trinity Lutheran School.