Anna Barta

Anna Vais Barta, 91, of Anita, Iowa, and formerly of Adair, Iowa, passed away Sunday, March 15, 2009, at Colonial Manor in Anita.

Anna Mary was born September 13, 1917, the daughter of Anton and Mary (Barta) Ruzek,on the family farm north of Prague, Nebraska. She was baptized, received her first Holy Communion, and was confirmed at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Praque. Anna also attended Catholic school in Praque.

On October 15, 1935, she married Joseph F. Vais at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Praque, Nebraska, with Father Bede Cernik presiding. They moved north of Anita to the Joseph Vais, Sr. family farm and lived there throughout their entire marriage.
Joseph passed away March 27, 1991, and in 1993 Anna decided to move in to Anita and in July of 1994 she moved to Adair.

Anna enjoyed playing cards, growing flowers and tending to her strawberry patch. During her years on the farm one of her many projects was to raise laying hens.

Anna is survived by her sons, Raymond (Betty) Vais, Francis (Jean) Vais, all of Exira, Iowa, Roger (Barb) Vais and Bernard (Becky) Vais, all of Anita, Iowa; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; and her sister, Albina Thoms of Wahoo, Nebraska.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Joseph F. Vais; her parents; her sisters, Mary Rolenc, Rose Disney, Evalie Ruzek, Agnes Vrbka and Libbie Palik; her brother, Anton R. Ruzek; her daughter-in-law, Linda Vais; her brothers-in-law, John J. Rolenc, Frank Disney, John Vrbka, Ray Palik and Ray Rerucha; and her nephews, Reynold Vrbka and Marvin Rerucha.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at St. John's Catholic Church in Adair, Iowa.

Burial will be in the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Atlantic, Iowa.

Visitation will be from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, 2008, at the Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Adair, with the family present to greet friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A scriptural wake service will be held during the visitation at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday at the funeral home.

Hockenberry Family Care in Adair, Iowa, is charge of the arrangements.