Elizabeth Pochop

Elizabeth (Chleborad) Pochop, 96, of Atwood, died Thursday, September 21, 2023. She was born September 7, 1927, to Henry and Mary (Horinek) Chleborad on a farm south of Atwood. She attended a country school and later graduated from Atwood High School. She attended Marymount School of Nursing in Salina, Kansas and did some of her clinicals in Manhattan, Ks. Following graduation she worked for a time in Denver and then returned to Atwood and worked for Dr. Gertsen. She would often take on private duty assignments, later working at the Rawlins County Hospital and later Good Samaritan Nursing Home.

On April 11, 1950, she married Frank Pochop and to this union were born 6 children: Cynthia, Anthony, Gerard, Rebecca (Becky), Kevin and Michael. Mom and Dad had 50+ years together and built their home and farm. They started out living in the basement, building the first floor and eventually adding on to that as well. Among the many things they instilled in us was a strong Faith and love of our God, a good work ethic and honest, hard work to accomplish what was needed or wanted. Mom loved to garden, sew and bake. Spring and summer months were spent preparing the garden, making jams, jellies and preserving garden produce. In her later years when getting down on her knees to garden was difficult and then impossible, she would say, “I would feel so much better if I could get down and scratch in the dirt”. The month of May meant the end of school and it also meant butchering and cleaning the young chickens. They raised enough chickens so that her parents could also have chickens to fry later in the year; her mother, Mary, would often come out to help. It took several days to prepare 250+ chickens for the freezer. A few were saved back to provide fresh eggs but they also eventually met the same fate as the other chickens. Milk cows were also part of the farm scene and as the children got older, they took over the milking chores. There was enough milk for the family’s use and cream to fill the milk cans which we called cream cans. This was taken to the Beardsley depot and later to Trenton, NE; money from the sale of the cream was the grocery money. Often a gallon of milk or pint of cream was taken to elderly relatives and friends in Atwood. During the wheat harvest she would prepare meals and take them out to the field for the men so they did not have to take time to come in for lunch—usually fried chicken, potatoes, beans and cream puffs for dessert.

The kitchen and house were often filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, (seven loaves at a time), kolaches, cinnamon rolls, rollicks, cakes and cookies. During the holidays fudge, peanut brittle and other candies were made. Fruit was purchased by the lug and canned. Somehow we all survived the heat from the canning process without air conditioning. Elizabeth learned the basics of sewing from her mother but also took classes through the local Extension Office and learned to make suits for the men in her life and double knit shirts with ribbed neckline. Both of her daughters were blessed to have their wedding dresses made by their mother. She was a self-taught cake decorator spending hours reading cake decorating books and practicing techniques. Birthday cakes and anniversary cakes were made for family and wedding cakes were made by her for area brides as well as for her own children.

Elizabeth saved the scraps from her sewing projects and these were used to make quilts. Even as her vision declined she was determined to sew and did a pretty good job with help from a magnifier and ruler as a guide.

Elizabeth treasured visits from her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Those were special moments for her.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, sister Vivian Feagan and husband Bob, sister Viola Janousek and husband Jerome, her husband Frank and son-in-law Bob Helmick. Those left to treasure her memory are her children, Cynthia (Bob) Helmick, Anthony (Annette), Gerard (Anita), Becky (Mike) Lundquist, Kevin, and Michael (Deb), twelve grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren and one due in Dec. She is also survived by sisters Mary Yvonne Bowski, and Rose George and brother Clarence (Valerie) Chleborad

Visitation is 5-7:00 p.m., with a Vigil at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at St. John’s Catholic Church, rural Atwood. The Funeral Mass will take place at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at St. John’s Catholic Church, with burial in the church cemetery. It was Elizabeth’s request that there be no flowers for her funeral (she said that she could not smell them). Memorials may be made to St. John’s Altar Society, Hope’s Place or PreBorn and sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit baalmannmortuary.com