Charles Bohumil Ruzicka was born Jan. 25, 1929 on the original Ruzicka farmstead near Colon, NE. He passed away Tuesday, April 12th, 2016 at South Haven Living Center in Wahoo, NE. Charles was the eighth of nine children born to Bohumil “Carl” and Agnes (Kracl) Ruzicka.

Charles attended District 55 grade school and Fremont High School. He received his draft notice, served basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas and deployed to Anchorage , Alaska in 1952, serving in the Army during the Korean War.

In July 1952, Charles married Diane Mae Blair in Anchorage , Alaska. They resided off-base in a tiny trailer and spent two blissful years there, enjoying all that Alaska had to offer. After his discharge from the Army, they returned to Nebraska.

Charles attended trade school in Milford, NE and worked at Western Electric in Omaha, before settling down in the Colon area to his lifelong love of farming. A cherished companion was his dog King.

Charles was preceded in death by his wife Diane in 1997; former son-in-law Randall Sukstorf; brothers: George, Ed, Raymond, Robert and Donald; and sisters: Dorothy Horeis and Evelyn Brandt.

He is survived by children: Debra (Jim) Gorley of Kansas City, KS, Michael Ruzicka of Lincoln, NE, Barbara Sukstorf of Cedar Bluffs, NE, and John (Vicki) Ruzicka of Colon, NE; grandchildren: Ryan, Caroline and Evan Gorley, Tyler and Jake Ruzicka, Melissa Lepore and family, Megan Walker and family and Molly Allely and family; and sister Adeline Dwyer of Wahoo, NE; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Don and Dottie Bern.