Eva Karel Olexa

Eva Karel Olexa (1951-2025)

Eva Karel Olexa, 73, of Houston, TX, passed away on November 14, 2025.

Eva was born on December 27, 1951, in Stuttgart, Germany, to Anna Satoria and Miloslav Karel, refugees from communism in their home country of Czechoslovakia. When Eva was a young girl, her family received an invitation to come to America. Leaving Germany with everything they owned in two bags and with no money in their pockets, they arrived in New York on January 6, 1956. Shortly afterward, they traveled by train to Houston.

Thanks to the help and support of the Czech community and SPJST Lodge 88, and to the Catholic community at St. Jerome's, Eva, her parents, and older brother Rene quickly learned the language and customs of their new home. In 1976, they proudly took the oath to become citizens of the United States. Growing up in Spring Branch, Eva attended Spring Branch Elementary School, Spring Woods Middle School, and Spring Woods High School.

In the 1970s, Eva enjoyed a successful career in the banking industry. In 1983, she met the love of her life, Tim, on a blind date, where they discovered that both their families were members of Lodge 88. That same year, they founded their business, FTO Installations, specializing in storage equipment and material handling. They married in 1987 and welcomed their son, Travis, followed by their daughter, Brittney, in 1989. While Eva and Tim worked hard to grow their business over the years, their first priority was always their children.

Eva enjoyed international travel throughout her life, beginning with a trip to Yugoslavia in her 20's to visit her mother's family. In 2000, Eva went on a Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome with her mother and daughter, where she enjoyed an audience with Pope John Paul II. On that same trip, she visited family in Croatia and traveled to the town of Medjugorje, where the Virgin Mary appeared on Apparition Hill in 1981. She and Tim took additional pilgrimages to Europe in 2016 and 2018.

In her 20s and 30s, Eva had an affinity for extreme sports, including water skiing, snow skiing, scuba diving, and horseback riding. Before having children, she and Tim would travel to Mexico on scuba diving adventures. After becoming a mom, Eva settled into her artistic talents with forays into stained glass-making, drawing, and painting. She had an extraordinary green thumb and took pride in her garden and koi pond. She painted many of the statues and sculptures that adorned her flower beds. Eva was also a very talented cook and baker, passing down many of the European dishes taught to her by her mother, including goulash, schnitzel, kolaches, and pound cake.

Eva will be remembered as a devoted wife and a loving and generous mother and grandmother. Eva was preceded in death by her parents, Anna and Milo Karel, and her loving husband of 38 years, Tim, who passed away only seven months earlier. She is survived by her son, Travis Olexa, and wife, Jacquelyn; her daughter, Brittney Guerra, and husband, Robert; her grandchildren: Aidan and Harper Olexa; Jaxon, Phoenix, Jonah, and Jeremiah Guerra; her

brother, Rene Karel, and wife, Doris; and her nieces, Erica Karel Heideman, Stephanie Karel Williams, and Heidi Karel Erickson.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, December 5, at 9 a.m. at the Chapel of St. Basil at the University of St. Thomas, 1018 West Alabama Street, Houston, TX 77006, followed by a reception in Link-Lee Mansion.