Dagmar Marie Turicek

Dagmar Marie (Drobilek) Turicek, age 92, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at home. Dagmar is survived by her 3 children: Sandy (Steve) Pernecky of Ann Arbor, MI, Pamela (Bob) Chojnacki of Muskego, WI, and Daryl (Holly Doggett) Turicek of Brunswick, ME. She was known as “Dasa” to her four grandchildren: Nicholas (Broghan) Turicek of Britton, MI; Grace Pernecky of Ann Arbor, MI; Andie (Nick Halleio) Chojnacki of West Allis, WI; Joseph (Lexi Phillips) Pernecky of Grand Rapids, MI; and one great-grandson, Jakub Turicek of Britton, MI. She is also survived by siblings Jarmie (Ray) Kalebic, Jerry (Donna) Drobilek, and Joe Drobilek, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Dagmar was born in Chicago, IL, on September 2, 1931, to Joseph Drobilek and Frances (Zmek) Drobilek. Growing up, she learned the Czech language before she learned English, and was proud of her Czech heritage. During her early elementary school years, her parents moved the family to a dairy farm in Phillips, WI, where the rest of her childhood and teenage years were lived. Dagmar valued education, and attended both Loyola University and Mount Mary College. Before becoming a devoted mother, she worked as a secretary, and enjoyed going back to the family farm for summers, visiting, and working. On September 24, 1960, she married Anthony “Tony” V. Turicek, who preceded her in death by less than one year. As a mother, Dagmar encouraged her children and grandchildren in sports and the arts—everything from cello to violin to saxophone to guitar and ballet to swimming to tennis to soccer and hockey to pompoms. She was into “health food” at the time of Adele Davis (before it was mainstream), and experimented with things like bee pollen. She enjoyed a simple life in some ways, and never owned a dishwasher. Dagmar remained consistent in providing simple and healthy fare for her family, including recipes from her mother, “Babi,” and lots of vegetables and fruits—some from her and Tony’s garden. She loved to travel with family, and took trips to a variety of places in the U.S., as well as in Canada. She especially loved being with family on North Twin Lake in northern Wisconsin for the annual summer vacation, and loved visiting lakes in general—Lake Geneva and Kohler-Andrae State Park lakeshore in particular. She loved family gatherings, especially the Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter holidays and birthdays. With the help of Tony and other family members, she made them over-the-top special and magical for her family, with special decorations, rituals, and food traditions. Birthdays throughout the years frequently included Babi’s walnut cake, her favorite cake. Though she lived in Ann Arbor, MI, for the last year of her life, she lived in Waukesha, WI, for most of her adult life. Dagmar was a gentle spirit and a gifted artist. She loved knowledge, books and reading, art, and dancing at weddings (free form, waltz, and polka). She loved cats and horses. She loved picking raspberries in season, as well as apples, strawberries, and blueberries. She could be content looking at a variety of plants and flowers and enjoyed her and Tony’s vegetable garden. She was whimsical and mischievous, just like her cherished garden gnome characters. People who knew her in a variety of capacities spoke of her as being sweet, kind, having a willful spirit, and a twinkle in her blue eyes. In most recent years, Dagmar still loved the outdoors and enjoyed seasonal outings like trips to the pumpkin patch at Halloween (and designing jack o’ lantern faces) and to the apple orchard and store (for a quick photo shoot and apple grab.) She remained ambulatory until her last two weeks, doing stairs twice daily. Less than two months prior to her death, she had been out for a boat ride and fish fry on a nearby lake—both beloved summer traditions for her. As she breathed her last breaths, she was surrounded by her loving family who did not even realize she was so close to this final transition into her afterlife. Her last week included numerous visits by loving family and friends; a new car outing with her daughters for ice cream and bakery treats; touching her beloved great-grandson Jakub’s baby hands and toes; spending time listening to banter by her grandsons, Nick and Joe; listening to her granddaughter Grace play violin—and holding her hand only 15 minutes before her last breath; listening to her son Daryl reading a favorite book by James Herriot; Zooming with family during the Monday evening meal—a tradition put in place during the pandemic to stay close; and face-timing with her beloved sister Jarmie. A loving celebration of Dagmar's life will be held in Wisconsin on Sunday, September 1, 2024, from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. Please contact Sandy at spernecky1@emich.edu for more details, if you plan to attend. Suggestions for donations/contributions in memory of Dagmar include: Sierra Club, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Alzheimer’s Association, Elara Caring Hospice Association, and Cat Care Society.

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Dagmar Marie Turicek

September 2, 1931 - July 20, 2024