Richard James Duffek was born November 7, 1928 on a farm in Seward County, the son of James Louis and Stazie A. (Pospichal) Duffek and passed away on May 15, 2015 in David City, Nebraska at the age of 86 years, 6 months, 8 days. The family resided by the Seward and Butler County Line and Dick lived there most of his life. He attended Dwight Assumption School and then served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 until his discharge in 1949. After the service he returned home and started his farming career. Richard was united in marriage to Helen Catherine Kobza on April 17, 1951 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Brainard, Nebraska. Their marriage was blessed with five children, Judy, Daniel, Richard A., Mark and James. Richard farmed all of his life and was also a night watchman at Hughes Brothers in Seward. Dick was a board member of the Bee Cooperative, President and Vice President of the Aquinas Booster Club and received his honorary diploma from Aquinas High School on November 13, 2000. Dick was a church Trustee at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Bee where he was a longtime member. Richard and Helen moved into Bee in 2008 from the farm. Dick is preceded in death by his parents, James and Stazie Duffek; his son, Richard A. Duffek; sisters and brothers-in-law, Marie and Raymond Dobesh, Alice and Emanuel Hain, Evelyn and Eugene "Speck" Williamson; brothers, Edmund and Delores Duffek, Raymond and Mary Ann Duffek. Dick is survived by his wife, Helen Duffek, Bee; children, Judy and her husband Bruce Barber of Lincoln, Daniel Duffek, Seward and special friend, Susan Fisher, Mark Duffek, Dwight and special friend, Teresa Patrick and James and Jennifer Duffek, Bee; seven grandchildren, Tony (Kelly) Duffek, Drew Duffek, Jerod Duffek (fiancé, JonAnn Decker), Andrea (Jeremy) Schulzkump, Stazy Duffek (Jory Shay), Jordyn Duffek, Hannah (Cory) Sabata; four great-grandchildren, McKena and Owen Duffek and Lane and Cole Schulzkump; other relatives and a host of friends. To this obituary we add our thoughts, prayers and memories of life shared with Dick.
