Obituary of Delores Anne Laitkep

On Monday, January 18, 2021, Delores Anne Dornak Laitkep, loving wife and mother of four children, passed away peacefully to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the age of 81. Delores was born on December 31, 1939, in Hallettsville, Texas. She was the first of eleven children born to Annie and Thomas Dornak. She was married to Ernest John Laitkep, and they raised four children: Chris, Kevin, Gary, and Kimberly. Delores attended Hallettsville High School, graduating in 1958. On February 6, 1960, she married Ernest and loved him for the next 60 years. They resided in Houston for 20 years before living in Pearland for the next 40 years. Delores retired from The University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston after working 27 years as an administrative assistant. She was an active member of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church and St. Helen’s Catholic Church. She served with the Catholic Daughters of America for over 50 years and the Czech fraternal organization K.J.Z.T. for 75 years. She also enjoyed dancing with relatives and friends at events organized by the Polka Lovers Klub of America. She volunteered regularly at church yard sales and led the barbecue beef sandwich booth at the annual church bazaar for many years. Delores found joy in spending her free time with her children and grandchildren and rarely missed one of their events. Delores was known for her big heart, sense of humor, and gift of connecting friends and family. She loved to dance, cook, make pickles, quilt, garden, play dominoes, and camp with family and friends. She is survived by her four children: Chris and his wife Donna; Kevin and his wife Jo Ann; Gary and his fiancée Cathy Burt; Kim Tiller and her husband Clay. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Katie, Matthew, and Michael; Trey, Zachary and his wife Jennifer, and Kailey; great-granddaughter Sophia; her brothers and sisters: Lawrence and his wife Mildred; sister-in-law Cheryl; Mary and her husband Dennis; Cathy and her husband Jim; Dennis and his wife Susan; Diane; Tommy and his wife Patricia; Greg and his wife Julie; and her numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Delores was preceded in death by her husband Ernest, her father Thomas and mother Annie, her father-in-law John Laitkep and mother-in-law Marie, her brother Frank, her brother-in-law David Halata, and her sisters Kathryn Caroline and Ann Benita. The visitation for Delores will be held on Thursday, January 21, from 6:00-8:00 PM at Clayton Funeral Home, 5530 Broadway Street, Pearland, Texas. For those unable to attend on Thursday evening, a second visitation will be held on Friday, January 22, at St. Helen’s Catholic Church, 2209 Old Alvin Road, Pearland, Texas, at 10:00 AM. The rosary will begin at 10:30 AM with the eulogy and mass thereafter. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Delores’ honor to the Alzheimer's Association.