Gladys Christine Soulek Nickolay, 93

Gladys Christine Soulek Nickolay, age 93, of New Prague, died on Tuesday, December 31, 20204, at Traditions of Montgomery.  Gladys was born on May 3, 1931, in Montgomery, to Vendelin and Emma (Zoubek) Soulek.  She was one of seven children and graduated from Montgomery High School in 1948.  She married Charles “Rock” Nickolay on September 9, 1950, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery.  Gladys and Rock celebrated 65 years of marriage shortly before Rock died in 2015.

Gladys and Rock made their home in New Prague for 60 plus years, before they moved to Traditions.  During that time, she and Rock owned and operated “Rock’s Place” for 25 years and she became well-known for her homemade soups – Vomacka, Booya, Vegetable Beef and Chili – and of course, their hot beef sandwiches.

One of her youngest and most-cherished achievements was being crowned at the age of 18 as Kolacky Queen of the annual Kolacky Days festivities in Montgomery.  This past summer, she rode in the annual parade one last time, being the oldest living Kolacky Queen.

She was known for her baking skills – kolacky and tea rings, in particular – and over the years, she gave many away as gifts.  Gladys always showed her love for her family and friends through her cooking and baking and they especially loved her pork or duck and dumplings, homemade chicken noodle soup, zelniky, and of course, all her soups.

After Gladys and Rock sold the bar, she worked at Snyder’s Drug stores under both Ted Smith and Harold McMahon.  She was a well-loved clerk because she was always kind, cheerful and helpful.  And she was a hard worker, putting her daughters to shame when tackling cleaning projects – we called her the White Tornado.

Gladys loved to play cards and as a young mother, she played in a bridge club.  Then she and Rock played euchre on a regular basis with a group of card friends.  One of her favorite sayings when calling trump was “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

Gladys had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary as part of her strong Catholic faith.  She had a rosary in her hands or by her side every day and said the daily rosary (or rosaries).  We could always count on her to say a rosary for us whenever one of us had a special need.

Gladys is survived by four children, Deb (Virgil) Pint of Jordan, Kathy (Al) Kramer of Eagan, Chuck (Barb) of New Prague, Mary (Dave) Pass of Shakopee; 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; sister, Rita Parsons; sisters-in-law, Lucille and JoAnn Nickolay and Ruth Huber.  She is preceded in death by her husband, two brothers and three sisters.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, January 10, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church with Father Eugene Theisen officiating.  Visitation will take place at church one hour prior to Mass, starting at 10:00 a.m.  A private burial will occur after Mass at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery followed by lunch at the New Prague Golf Club.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers from both Traditions of Montgomery and St. Croix Hospice. They went above and beyond in making her final days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.  

bruzekfuneralhome.com