Hana Oblonsky

Hana Oblonsky died on April 23, 2012, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a well loved sister, daughter, aunt, great aunt, and friend. Hana was born June 2, 1954, in Prague, Czechoslovakia to Jan and Vera Oblonsky. She was a tomboy as a child, loved to play sports and be outside. Summer vacations were spent camping, hiking. When she was twelve, her family escaped the communist block and immigrated to the United States. The family lived in Santa Monica, California, before moving to the Washington DC area. Hana attended Rockville High School and the University of Maryland in College Park. She was very proud of her 1966 Mustang, and entertained her younger siblings by driving them very fast around the cul-de-sac. She also enjoyed skiing with her family, including the drive up to Pennsylvania. In 1973, she spent some months with her family in Japan, beginning her appreciation for Japanese cuisine. Participating in an old Japanese tradition, she climbed Mt. Fuji with her father overnight to see the sunrise from the peak. Hana's first job was as a cashier at Finnigans Carwash, where she soon became the head cashier and assistant manager. In 1980, Hana moved back to California, living with her family in Gilroy. She held several jobs over the next ten years, always impressing with her work ethics and abilities. In 1991, she started her employment with Specialized Bicycle Components, where she has worked for over twenty years in Inventory Control. When Specialized opened a facility in Salt Lake City, Hana moved there, and when they opened one in Columbus, Ohio, she was asked to help start up that site as well. She loved her job, was excellent at it and was very much appreciated by the company - she has many friends there to this day. Hana had wide-ranging interests, from sports to reading. She was an avid follower of Joe Montana, Martina Navratilova, and Annika Sorenstam over the years. She enjoyed horseback riding, skiing and playing golf. She liked electronic gadgets, romance novels, cooking shows, Judge Judy and Jeopardy. She loved cooking (especially Czech cuisine) and going out to eat. Hana was the one who introduced us to sushi and sashimi. Hana was a wonderful, caring, and always positive person and is already missed very much. Hana is survived by her parents, Jan and Vera Oblonsky of San Jose, CA; brother Tom (Jan) of Anaheim, CA; sisters Irena Bechthold of San Martin, CA; Lucy Oblonsky (Marc) of Richmond, VA; Ivana Thomas (Darl) of Salt Lake City, UT; nephew Jason, nieces Jennifer and Alenka, and great niece Elizabeth. There will be a family gathering in August in San Jose, CA to remember and honor Hana. Special thanks to Bryan and Tina, who were there for Hana beyond expectations of friendship when it was needed most; Jesse, Stephanie, Kim and her other friends at Specialized. Thank you, Intermountain Hospice: Holly, Nubia, Lindsay.