Constance Julia Franek, known to those who loved her as Connie, passed away on December 25, 2025, at Mala Strana Assisted Living and Rehabilitation Center in New Prague, Minnesota. She was 79 years old.
Connie was born in New Prague on July 9, 1946, to Wilbert and Julia (Cihlar) Cihlar. New Prague and the surrounding communities remained an important part of her life, but it was in Veseli, Minnesota, with her husband, Gene, and their two sons, Keith and Cory, that she created the life she cherished most.
To know Connie was to know someone who gave herself completely to the people she loved. She was a devoted wife and mother, and caring for her family was not simply something she did—it was who she was. She spent her married life making a home for Gene and their boys, caring for them in countless ways, often putting their needs ahead of her own. She was an incredible cook, a thoughtful friend, and the kind of mother who could make sure everyone else was okay even when she was carrying her own burdens quietly.
Connie had a serving heart. She gave without expecting anything in return. She sacrificed without asking to be recognized for it. She had a remarkable ability to put her own pain aside because she wanted the people around her to be happy, comfortable, and cared for. She was a pillar of strength, though she rarely sought attention for that strength. Her family knew they could count on her.
But Connie was so much more than the care she gave to others. She loved to laugh. She loved to joke around and could make people laugh when they least expected it. She had a wonderful smile that could brighten an entire room, and she had a special gift for sending people away feeling a little better than when they arrived. She looked for the goodness in people and was quick to praise it. She lifted people up.
She made people feel welcome. Connie had a tremendous love for animals. She saw them as the creatures of the earth and God's creation, and throughout her life she found joy and companionship in the pets she loved and cared for. Her tenderness toward animals was simply another reflection of the compassion she carried for all living things.
She enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. She loved gardening and taking care of her flower beds, spending time with her neighbors, and enjoying the friendships she made along the way. She and Gene shared many happy years at their cabin on French Lake near Faribault, where they made memories that remained special to her. She also enjoyed traveling with friends, including trips to Graceland that brought her plenty of laughter and good memories.
Connie worked part-time at Brewster's Bar in Veseli for several years and later worked for a time at a cabinet shop in Lonsdale. But while she had a working life outside the home, the work she treasured most was the life she built for her family and the people she loved.
She loved Gene deeply. She loved her sons deeply. She loved her family, her friends, her neighbors, and the animals that shared her life. And, she loved in a way that was not measured by words.
It was measured by what she did, by the meals she prepared, by the flowers she planted, by the people she welcomed, by the laughter she created, by the burdens she quietly carried, by the sacrifices she made, by the countless times she put someone else first.
Connie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gene Franek, and her parents, Wilbert and Julia Cihlar. She leaves behind her sons, Keith Franek and Cory Franek; her sister, Carin Cihlar; her niece, Michele Myers; and the many relatives, friends, neighbors, and others whose lives she touched.
But the measure of Connie's life cannot be captured by a list of names. It is found in the people who were cared for because of her, in the people who laughed because of her, in the people who felt encouraged because she saw something good in them, in the animals she loved and protected. in the flowers she planted and tended, in the memories made around a kitchen table, at the cabin on French Lake, with neighbors, with friends, and with the family she loved so fiercely.
And it is found in the enormous love she gave without ever asking for anything in return. There is an emptiness left by Connie that cannot be replaced. She is deeply missed by her sons, her family, and all who were fortunate enough to know her. But the love she gave does not end with her passing. It remains in the lives she shaped, the memories she created, the laughter she shared, and the goodness she brought into the world. She gave so much of herself to everyone else. She loved her family with her whole heart. She made people laugh. She lifted people up. She sent them away with a smile. And she will never be forgotten.
A memorial Mass celebrating Connie's life will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Veseli, Minnesota. Visitation and fellowship will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., with Mass beginning at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at the cemetery.