Stanislav Rehak

1925 - 2019

Rehak, Stanislav 12/6/1925 - 7/6/2019 Saline Stanislav Rehak, age 93, died July 6, 2019 at Arbor Hospice in Saline, Michigan. Stan was born December 6, 1925 in Brno, Czechoslovakia. While finishing his university studies in Prague in 1948 during the Communist takeover of his native country, he utilized contacts from his WWII work in the anti-Nazi underground to help fellow students and others to escape the renewed totalitarian persecution. His own escape across the Iron Curtain occurred in June 1948 in a "borrowed" military transport plane, landing in Manston, England, together with a group of former Czech RAF pilots. During his years in London he participated in the establishment of Czechoslovak groups in exile. This work included organizing and representing Czech students in England and abroad, information services, publishing, cultural, political, and charitable tasks. In 1951 he helped to establish in England, along with a few friends, the publishing firm InterPress Limited, which reached through the Iron Curtain to keep alive intellectual freedom under oppression, and represented the firm's interests in the United States for the next 38 years. Stan came to Ann Arbor in 1951 and became an American citizen in 1956. He was elated to live long enough to see the breakdown of the Iron Curtain and the arrival of the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution in 1989. Stan met his beloved Dorothy in Ann Arbor. Their marriage took place in St Mary's Student Chapel in November 1952, and the family settled in Ann Arbor permanently. Though he felt blessed by several fortuitous narrow escapes in his early life during the turbulent times in Europe, he felt doubly blessed by the exceptional love of his wife and family and a circle of close friends. A devoted father, Stan enjoyed traveling and camping with his children and served as a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts. His love of classical music, Czech composers in particular, was apparent in his piano playing and the concerts and operas he and Dorothy regularly attended. He was a lifelong reader whose appetite ranged from detective and espionage fiction to poetry and political analysis. He continued to study and learn new languages throughout his life. After retirement from management at Fingerle Lumber Co. in 1988, Stan enjoyed attending courses at the University of Michigan in classical archeology, history of art, and various aspects of East European studies, supplemented by trips abroad and regular trips to the Czech Republic. Throughout his life he was active in many groups and organizations here and abroad. For many years he would meet with a small group of Czech compatriots every Friday at Dominick's for drinks, discussions, and celebrations. Stan was also an avid University of Michigan football fan and supported all U of M sports. In 2014, Stan and Dorothy left their Ann Arbor home and relocated to an apartment at Brecon Village in Saline, where they enjoyed making new friends and participating in activities and social events for a number of years. Stan is survived by his wife Dorothy Roberts Rehak in Saline MI; sons Tom (Janice) in Columbia MO and Bob (Katie) in Media PA; daughter Joan (Carl) in Ann Arbor; six grandchildren, Andrew, Jenny (Brian), Nicholas, Emma, Zachary, and Trevor; and two great grandchildren, Easton and Nolan. He was preceded in death by his son Paul Rehak in Lawrence KS, his daughter Mary in Detroit MI, and his only sister Blanka in Prague. Following cremation at Nie Funeral Home, Stan's remains were placed in the Memorial Garden at St. Francis of Assisi Church. A memorial gathering to celebrate Stan's life and legacy will take place on Saturday, August 17, from 1-4pm at Weber's Hotel in Ann Arbor. The event is open to all and light refreshments will be served.