Eleanor V Peterson Hejtmanek

1920 - 2018  (97 years)

• Name	Eleanor V Peterson Hejtmanek
  Born	9 Jun 1920	Frederick, Brown County, South Dakota
  Gender	Female
  Died	16 Jan 2018	Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
  Buried	23 Jan 2018	Memorial Park Cemetery (Penwell-Gabel Cemetery), Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
  Person ID	I10844	Rossville
  Last Modified	13 Aug 2018

  
  

  Father	John G Peterson
  Mother	Tynne H Peterson
  Family ID	F8101	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Charles Clayton Hejtmanek,   b. 25 Feb 1917, Delia, Jackson County, Kansas ,   d. 27 Jun 2009, Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas  (Age 92 years)
  Married	24 Sep 1944	Frederick, Brown County, South Dakota
  Children	1. Stephen S Hejtmanek   2. Vicki L Hejtmanek Fordyce   3. Kathy A Hejtmanek Stiles
  Documents		Anniversary- Hejtmanek, Clayton and Eleanor 1 Eleanor and Clayton Hejtmanek Clayton and Eleanor Hejtmanek, Topeka, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at the China Inn in Topeka hosted by their children. Clayton Hejtmanek and Eleanor Peterson were married Sept. 24,1944, at the home of the bride’s parents in Frederick, S.D., while Mr. Hejtmanek was serving in the U.S. Army as a Medical Administrative Corps officer during World War II. Their children and spouses are Vicki Fordyce, Sugar Land, Texas; Stephen and Judie Hejtmanek, Topeka; and Kathy and Chris Stiles, Overland Park. They have two grandchildren, Kelly Fordyce, Sugar Land, and Charles Fordyce and his wife, Rain, Edmonds, Wash; and two step-grandsons, Dr. Harlow Schmidt and his wife, Cheryl, Leawood, and Allen Schmidt and wife, Janie, Geneva, Ill. They have seven great-grandchildren, Charles and Hugh Fordyce, Edmonds; Graham, Griffin and Olivia Schmidt, Leawood; and Evan and Dana Schmidt, Geneva, Ill. Mr. Hejtmanek was a registered representative for Equitable Life Assurance Society. He retired in 1998. During World War II, Mrs. Hejtmanek was employed by the Security and Intelligence Division of the U.S. Army for War Crimes at Camp Burner, N.C. Much later, she was employed by Topeka Presbyterian Manor for 13 years. The couple now reside at Topeka Presbyterian Manor, 4712 S.W. 6th, No. 161, Topeka, 66606.
  		Anniversary- Hejtmanek, Clayton and Eleanor 2 The Hejtmaneks (photo in the news clip) If there’s a romantic in the group, it would be (Charles) Clayton Hejtmanek, who hails from Delia, just north of Rossville. He said the first time he saw Eleanor, the woman he married, he thought she was “the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.” That was nearly 63 years ago, and he still calls her “sweetheart.” Never mind that Eleanor had come to “take my job.” He was heading for military service in the Army. It was nine months before Pearl Harbor, he said. He was working at Kansas City’s Consumer’s Co-op, and she was hired to take his position. It was a job that entailed shipping farm commodities across the country. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he ended up training and dong administrative work. When they met, he was 24, and she was 21. “I said to myself ‘That’s the girls I’ve just got to have,’” Clayton Hejtmanek said. They dated. They liked dancing, so that was one of their main pastimes, dancing at Kansas City’s Play-Mor. While he was gone to the service, they corresponded. As he was being transferred from Missouri to Abilene, Texas, they decided to get married. Looking back on their marriage, they said that what has worked for them is that they “like to do a lot of the same things together.” These interests include gardening and lots of traveling across the United States by bus and by airlines. If you want to keep a marriage together, they said “you’ve got to be able to give and take” in the relationship.
  Last Modified	29 Nov 2019 03:54:55
  Family ID	F1996	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 9 Jun 1920 - Frederick, Brown County, South Dakota Married - 24 Sep 1944 - Frederick, Brown County, South Dakota  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Documents

  Obituary- Hejtmanek, Eleanor Eleanor V. Hejtmanek Eleanor V. Peterson Hejtmanek died peacefully on Tuesday, January 16,2018, at the age of 97 in Topeka, Kansas. She was born June 9,1920, to John G. and Tynne H. Peterson of Frederick, South Dakota, the third of five children. She graduated from Frederick High School in 1937. After completing Business College in Chillicothe, Missouri, Eleanor worked for Farmland Industries and Fluor Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1945, she assisted in interviewing U.S. prisoners of war in preparation for the Nuremberg trials while she was with the Civil Service, Security Intelligence Division, Camp Butner, North Carolina. She worked for Topeka Presbyterian Manor from 1967-1980. Eleanor married Charles Clayton Hejtmanek on September 24,1944. After her husband retired from military service in 1945, they lived in Coffeyville, Kansas, until 1955 when they moved to Topeka, Kansas. She was a member of Central Presbyterian Church, Topeka, where she served as Deacon and was a member of the Women’s Association. Eleanor loved spending time with family and friends and cooking and hosting large family dinners and get-togethers. Eleanor and Clayton both enjoyed gardening and traveling together. Eleanor was preceded in death by her loving husband of 64 years, C. Clayton Hejtmanek; parents, brother, Arnold Peterson, and sisters Jeanette Lund, Dorothy Nelson and Denise Grohnke. She is survived by her children Vicki Fordyce, Sugar Land, TX; Stephen (Judith) Hejtmanek, Topeka; and Kathy (Chris) Stiles, Overland Park, KS; grandchildren Kelly Fordyce; Charles (Rain) Fordyce; Harlow (Cheryl) Schmidt; Allen (Janie) Schmidt; and great grandchildren Chas and Hugh Fordyce; Graham, Griffin and Olivia Schmidt; Evan and Dana Schmidt; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. On Monday, January 22, a visitation will be held from 4 pm to 6 pm at the Penwell-Gabel Mid-Town Chapel. On Tuesday, January 23, a memorial service will be held in the Penwell-Gabel Mid-Town Chapel at 10:30 am, immediately followed by a reception for family and friends at the same location. A private family burial will be at Penwell-Gabel Cemetery before the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Helping Hands Humane Soci¬ety, Inc., 5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604; Arthritis National Research Foundation, 5354 East 2nd St, Suite 201, Long Beach, CA 90803; or the charity of your choice. To leave a message for the family online, please visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com.