AUGUST S. URBANEK

Family-Placed Obituary

AUGUST S. URBANEK "Augie" August "Augie" S. Urbanek, 92, passed away at home n Saturday, July 7, 2012, after a recent illness. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones. Augie was born on October 17, 1919, to Paul and Helen Urbanek in Trencin, Czechoslovakia. The family came to America when he was two years old and settled in Wisconsin. Augie worked on the two family owned farms from a very young age. At fifteen, he became an apprentice machinist for Kearney and Trecker. With the outbreak of World War II, Kearney and Trecker transferred him to the Westinghouse Electric Plant in Pittsburg, PA, where he had the responsibility of supervising major machine operations. Soon after, he married his first love, Irene Knotik. They had three children, Larry, Jerry and Kathy. When Augie was twenty-six, he had saved enough money from his machinist's job to buy forty acres of fruit orchards in Pewaukee, WI. He retired from Kearney and Trecker on his tenth anniversary, fulfilling a promise he made to himself. The monotony of retirement did not last long. Two years later, in 1948, after attending the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Division, he subdivided twenty acres of the land, built homes on the parcels and with that started Rite Realty Company. During the next thirteen years, Rite Realty became one of the largest land developers and builders in Milwaukee County. During the 1950's, the company developed thirteen shopping centers and thousands of apartment units. Augie was a charter organizer, director and a vice-president of Central Bank in West Allis, WI. In the early 1960's, Augie moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he started building co-ops, beginning with the Coral Ridge Yacht Club. He developed thousands of condominium units and he invested in commercial real estate. In 1973, he left condominium development to care for his terminally ill wife and seek a cure for ALS. He became involved in business again after her death in 1977. He had a strong desire to give back to the community. Over the years he made donations of land to be used for churches and parks. He gave major gifts to the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, the Broward Performing Arts Center, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and Discovery, the Community Foundation of Broward County, PACE Center for Girls, Kids In Distress, the Salvation Army and many others. He served in numerous civic and charitable organizations. He was a member of the Young President's Organization and a founding member of the World President's Organization. He served on many boards throughout the years including: Holy Cross Hospital, Nova Southeastern University, The Broward Performing Arts Center Authority and Foundation, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, Pine Crest School, Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, WPBT Channel Two, and PACE Center for Girls. Honors and awards he received over the years include: One of the first inductees into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Nova Southeastern University, Golden Heart Award, Proclamation of "Melba and August Urbanek Day" on April 10, 1992 by Lawton Chiles, Philanthropist of the Year 1987, Moretti Award, and Nova Southeastern University President's Award. Augie carried this newspaper clipping in his wallet and tried to live by it: A Short Course In Human Relations The six most important words in the English language are: I WAS WRONG- PLEASE FORGIVE ME The five most important words: YOU DID A GOOD JOB The four most important words: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION The three most important words: CAN I HELP The two most important words: THANK YOU The one most important word: YOU The lease important word: I His family meant more to him than all of his accomplishments. The loved ones who attended to his needs during the last few months of his life were his beloved wife, Melba; his daughter, Jennifer; his step-daughter, Dawn and son-in-law, Mark; his granddaughter, Maddie, and his friends, Sylvia, Rodrigo, Eunice, Kellen, Chay, the staff of Boca Raton Regional Home Health, and many others. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Helen; his wife, Irene; his sister, Mary Greismer and his brother, Steve Urbanek. He is survived by his sister, Rose Engerson; his sister-in-law, Loraine Urbanek, many nephews and nieces, and grandchildren, Kristin Ragland Gomez, Charles Ragland, Catherine Urbanek, Gerald Urbanek, Jr., and Josie Gomez. Family members will celebrate his life on Friday, July 13, from 6;00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Glick Family Funeral Home, 3600 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL 33431, and on Saturday, July 14, in a holy funeral mass at 11:00 AM at St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 385 SW 3rd Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33432. Donations in his honor may be made to The Broward Performing Arts Center, or Nova Southeastern University. Glick Family Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries