A Legacy of Serving, Teaching & Learning - Joyfully!

I have the honor of liquidating the estate of Mr. Joe A. Spacek in Dime Box. As many of you know, I like to share the life & times, if you will, of the individual tied to the estates we are hired to liquidate. I do this, because we all tell a story & I believe we continue to tell a story after we are gone. You know....there is something interesting & mysterious about the quiet ones.

Every family member I have talked to so far has told me that Joe A. kept to himself. That being said he has a lot of neat and interesting things to share will all of you coming to the auction on Saturday.

There will be lots of useful items at the auction on Saturday like: Several Storage Buildings, Tools, Furnishings, Cooking Kettle, Gold & Silver pieces, a couple of Firearms, S10 Pick Up, Handmade Quilts & then some.

There will also be lots of FUN, interesting & UniQue pieces like: sports memorabilia, collectible & commemorative items from Sport Greats to Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, & Princess Diana. There are also antique toys, advertising pieces, primitives, pottery crocks. I mean....the list could go on. We keep finding things!

Because of the size of Joe A.'s collection we are also planning SEVERAL online auctions. He has a TREMENDOUS coin & currency collection. We will have details and a preliminary inventory available for those interested on Saturday. He also has quite a collection of comic books & authenticated & autographed sports items, which will be held in a specialty online auction. Be sure to join our mailing list to get updated about ALL of those.

When we start working on estates, we very quickly get to see an insight into the lives of the individuals that have left us. You notice how they organized things. You notice what was important to them and what wasn't. You learn about that person in a way, well...you never would just having a conversation with them.

There is no question that this man was a collector & took GREAT PRIDE in the treasures that he found and the things that brought him JOY. It was like he had this foresight into the value of these items. 

I think it's important to share the back story on Mr. Joe A, because I think it is wonderful. 

Joe A. was an only child & has been described as: "a devoted son that took great care of his mother in her final years" and "a generous man, always willing to give to church fund raisers and community functions, as well as showing his gratitude to those caregivers in his last couple years of life." 

One of the small buildings we are selling was built for his mother. He built it so she could sit outside on the "porch." Her failing eyesight made it hard for her to see, so he built it so...no matter what the weather was, she could sit outside & the natural light helped her vision. 

His mother was a teacher, teaching a total of 33 years at the Birdsong Community in Burleson County, The Friendship Community in Lee County, New Dime Box,  Dime Box & Lexington Schools. She predominantly focused in mathematics. This makes it no surprise that Joe A. received a degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas & taught at 3 different universities. 

We will also have several other unique items at the sale on Saturday. They belonged to Joe A.'s father, Mr. Joe Spacek. He was a WW1 Veteran, so there will be several pieces there from his time served. Mr. Joe also had a train car accident in his early 20's (per family members) where he lost his leg. They said it never stopped him & after being a battery operator for some years, started his 44 year-long career at the First State Bank in Dime Box. I've been told that Mr. Joe took quite an interest in coin collecting & I believe he passed that interest on to Joe A.  You will see unique items on Saturday that reflect these interests & events. Oh! And his dad was a Square Dance Caller! 

Similar to his parents, after retiring from teaching, Joe A. worked in Austin for the Data Processing Division of the Texas Highway Department, until he reached time for his SECOND retirement! BEFORE teaching he also worked at aerospace companies. We have items reflecting those times of his life, as well. 

Maybe some of the most heartwarming bits of information I've received as we've been setting up for this auction is regarding how close they were as a family. They were avid UT & Dallas Cowboy Fans. They enjoyed watching sports programs together & took an annual family vacation out of state every year that they all looked forward to. They were a unit, yet each one having their own individual strengths, interests, & stories that contributed to that unit. A unit that created a legacy of serving, teaching, enjoying life & getting things done!

What a blessing they must have been to the community of Dime Box!

As I sit here and think about how Joe A. "kept to himself," I think that more of us should probably BUCK UP & keep to ourselves. :) Work hard. Educate ourselves & others. Spend time with the people and things that bring us joy....& keep to ourselves, those we love, and those we can help. 

There is something quite special in this story. 

I ENCOURAGE all of you to come out on Saturday! We will have concessions available from the Dime Box Lions Club. We will also have additional information about the online auctions coming up & the real estate that will be for sale, which is also part of this estate!

Please go to our website at www.buckupauctions.com & subscribe to be added to our email list!

Heather Kaspar
Buck Up Auctions
TXL 17037

The Good Stuff...

We have an estate auction coming up and something that I REALLY like to do with all of my estates is, get as much of a back story on the estate & the people that were part of it. This happens to be the estate of  the late, Mr. Woodrow Spacek from Dime Box, Texas.

As I was reading what the family had written in Mr. Spacek's obituary, I was able to see the colors of his life... Here are some of the documented highlights of his life:

Woodrow Alexander Spacek was born on January 12, 1921 in Dime Box, Texas.  He passed away on February 8, 2012 in Bryan, Texas.

Woodrow was the first born child of Adolph and Johanna Zielniewicz Spacek.  After graduating from Dime Box Rural High School in 1939, Woodrow attended Sam Houston State Teacher’s College from 1940 until early 1942.  He left college to enlist in the military.  During WW II, he served in the US Army Air Corps from September 1942 until September 1945.  As a member of a B-24 bomber crew based in England, Woodrow flew 35 combat missions in the European Theatre and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Upon being honorably discharged from the service, Woodrow practiced his family’s profession of farming and ranching.  He continued to do so all of his life.  In addition to this, he worked at other jobs through the years.  From 1945 until 1950, Woodrow was employed in the heavy construction business.  He served as County Commissioner for Lee County Pct. 4 from January 1, 1950 to January 1, 1963.  Woodrow then worked as a bull dozer operator on the construction of the Lake Somerville Dam.  During 1964, Woodrow was the manager of the Dime Box Chair Factory.  Woodrow was employed with the Houston branch of 3M Business Products in 1965.  The company transferred him to Austin in 1966 and in 1971 to the Grand Prairie, Texas branch where he worked until his retirement in 1987.

Woodrow married Georgia Marie Tydlacka at the old St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dime Box, Texas on April 29, 1947 with Father Thomas Matl officiating.  The young couple engaged in farming and ranching on family land they purchased.  Woodrow called this place home until his death.  To this union were born three children, James, Charlotte, and Kathryn.  Georgia passed away on May 16, 1973.

On October 20, 1979, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dime Box, Woodrow married C. Elizabeth Jones with Father Isidore Rozycki officiating.  Joining them in their home was Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Lisa.

Hobbies that Woodrow enjoyed included deer hunting, fishing, and barbecuing.  Woodrow spent many hours with his friends preparing BBQ for weddings, fire department picnics, church bazaars and various other fund raisers.  Woodrow was the King of the Red Sausage Crew!  He was a charter member of the Dime Box Volunteer Fire Department.  He was a member of the Dime Box Lions Club, SPJST Lodge #13, and the Dime Box Heritage Society.  Woodrow was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dime Box all of his 91 years of life.  The many facets of his devotion included membership in the Catholic Union of the KJT, altar boy service in his youth, service on the parish council, hard-working volunteer for parish fund raisers, chair for facilities maintenance, and church cemetery custodian for over 25 years.  In June, 2007, Woodrow received the Catholic Diocese of Austin, Lumen Gentium Award to recognize individuals who exemplified the Spirit of Christ through their good works in parish stewardship and leadership.

His grandchildren were the pride and joy of his life and the great grandchildren brought a special sparkle to his eyes!

I was truly moved to tears. What you just read is REALLY what it's all about. I know that PART of my business, as an auction company, is to liquidate the assets of estates & do my VERY best to help them bring top dollar. I want as many people to know about them as possible in hopes that there is someone out there that can appreciate the items as much as the past owners did or MORE!

The bottom line is though...that's it's not about the stuff. We all have sentimental ties & memories we associate with certain things, but NOTHING has a value greater than the life of the estate holder. Sometimes....as time marches on....the stories of people's lives fade the longer they are gone from us. The truth is...Mr. Spacek left SO many impressions on SO many people through his years of serving others. I'm honored to be able to perform this auction. I'm honored to have had the opportunity of being touched my a man's life that I've never known. I'm honored to have the opportunity in this blog, to SHARE HIS LIGHT to a few more people.

Estate matters can be hard sometimes...& sometimes you've got to clear out the STUFF to start seeing what REALLY matters. My crew & I will give it all we've got up until the completion of the auction on March 21st! I know a lot of people knew him & have fond memories of him. I also understand how this can be a difficult time for some.

Through Mr. Spacek's LIFE OF SERVICE to others & to God I am led to believe that he thought along these lines: "'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.'" - Matthew 6:19-21 Revised Standard Version Catholic Bible

I'm thankful & appreciative of the VALUE Mr. Spacek saw in his life & his use in it, to shine God's light on others. I PRAY I can do the same.

I hope EVERYONE that knew him, is able to come out on March 21st & purchase something that will help them remember & rejoice in his time with them. PLEASE check out my website: www.buckupauctions.com as we update it, as we near the auction. There is a wide variety of items including: antiques, firearms, furniture, implements, old out buildings, old barn wood, tools, storage bins & SO much more!!! If you'd like to be added to my email list to get the most updated information possible, please do so through my website. You can also follow us on Facebook. Here's the link: Buck Up Auctions Facebook Page.

God Bless!
Heather Schoenst Kaspar TXL 17037