Karnes Co. TX - OBITUARIES - December 2006 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell Copyright. All rights reserved. http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ From chron.com December 24, 2006 Kolenda, ex-judge and WWII veteran Daughter recalls his 'fascinating,' 'incredible life' By ANNE MARIE KILDAY Johnny R. Kolenda, a former Harris County state district judge, died Wednesday from complications of heart disease and emphysema, surrounded by his family. He was 90. Kolenda, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps, was judge at the 337th Criminal District Court and a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Karen "Kim" Vidor said her father had a contagious smile and loved to travel and tell stories. One of his favorite stories involved how he met his wife, Ruth, who died in 2002. "My mother had a twin sister, Ruby, and they were both Navy nurses," Vidor said. "They met at a dance, and when they planned to go out, my mother had her sister Ruby go out with him to see if she would approve. My Aunt Ruby said, 'I like him so much, I am keeping him for myself.' But my mom said, 'No, you are not!' " Kolenda married Ruth two weeks later, and the couple celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in 2002. Vidor said her mother, a lifelong smoker, also died from emphysema. Her father, who never smoked, developed the disease in the last weeks of his life, Vidor said. "My father led a fascinating life, an incredible life," Vidor said. "It was like he always said: He just always seemed to be in the right place at the right time." Kolenda was a native of Karnes County, in South Texas. After high school, he took a government job and earned a pilot's license in his spare time. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, spent time in aerial glider school and was transferred to Officer Candidate School in Miami. During World War II, he was stationed in the Philippines, where he served as an intelligence officer with the 8th Army. After the war, Kolenda worked with British intelligence in Germany, and he and his wife were invited to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. He retired from the Air Force after 24 years, at the rank of lieutenant colonel, with several decorations. While serving in the military, Kolenda received his bachelor's degree in sociology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. He also received a master's degree in education from the University of Hartford and a law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Kolenda practiced law in Houston for several years before his appointment to the 337th Court, his daughter said. He served there for four years, and for several years was a visiting judge, she said. Kolenda's ancestors were part of the immigration of Polish Catholics to the small towns of Santa Maria and Panna Maria in 1854. His daughter said Kolenda was a cousin of Pope Pius X and the Rev. Leopold Moczygemba, the priest who led the Polish immigration to Central Texas. Vidor said her father took several trips to Europe in the four years since her mother's death, and that she traveled with him to Italy, the Panama Canal and Hawaii in the past year. Survivors include Vidor; her husband, Bill Vidor; and their children, Erik, Kelly and Emily. Family visitation will be at the Chapel of the Angels at Forest Park Cemetery on Tuesday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. A rosary will be recited at the Family Chapel at 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 6800 Buffalo Speedway. Burial will be at the Kolenda family mausoleum at Forest Park Cemetery.