Robert Ladislav Vacha

1951 - 2025

Robert Ladislav Vacha

September 18, 1951 - April 18, 2025

Robert "Bob" Ladislav Vacha, age 73, took his last breath on April 18, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska with his wife Megan by his side. Pancreatic Cancer took this wise and stoic man after five previous cancers could not.

Bob, the oldest of six children, was born in Kearney, Nebraska on September 18, 1951 to a sharecropper named Ladislav "Laddie" Vacha and his resourceful, spirited mother named Rose. Bob's legacy includes the indelible influence he had on his younger siblings, his ability to inspire countless Boys Town teenagers, his homebuilding skills, and his two fine sons.

Stories of Bob's childhood paint a picture of resilience and adaptability. Bob's earliest home had no running water and no central heat; he took his weekly baths in a washtub in the kitchen. His family used a Sears catalog in their outhouse, where little Bobby once found himself trapped due to a large snake sunning itself on the other side of the door.

Bob naturally took on the role of protector and mentor to his younger siblings. As a twelve-year-old, Bob was the one to discover a fire in their house; he spent time in the hospital recovering from the burns he got while alerting his sleeping family. As a teenager, when his parents went through a difficult divorce, Bob helped support his family.

Bob was the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. During holidays, Bob would come home and share his newfound knowledge with his younger siblings. When he later entered the seminary to study for the priesthood, he shared his spiritual journey with his family.

In the late 1970s, as an ordained Deacon, Father Vacha served as a priest in the Wahoo, Nebraska parish. He taught English at Bishop Neumann Catholic High School, where he had graduated in 1969. After serving four years, Bob decided not to take his final vows for the priesthood. Other meaningful times in his twenties include a solo motorcycle trip around the country, and living and working in the Virgin Islands and Florida with his brothers.

Bob became a remarkable English teacher who instilled the love of reading, writing, and learning in his students for forty years. During his last twenty-five years at Boys Town High School, Bob's creativity engaged many otherwise disinterested students. He did this by entering the classroom in the costume and persona of main characters and writers. He taught his students to appreciate the deeper truths found within myths and fantasies. He invited them to memorize Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" for extra credit which led to "Twas brillig and the slithy toves..." echoing down the hall between classes.

Over the years, Bob received dozens of heartfelt letters from his students. One memorable letter started with "Dear Mr. Vacha, You opened my eyes to life." Bob was affectionately known as "The Thug Whisperer" for his knack at encouraging his students to envision and work for a better future.

A self-taught, resourceful home builder, Bob built his first home from what he learned from library books. Through the years, he built, lived in, and sold many more houses. His home building side job helped Bob and Maggi send their sons, Joe and Ben to Mount Michael Benedictine School. Bob also taught his sons construction work and basic landscaping. The three of them were able to help several of Bob's family members (including Joe) build their own homes.

To celebrate Bob's five-year cancer-free anniversary, Bob and Megan spent two months RVing in New Zealand. After retirement, Bob and Megan became Winter Texans, spending the cold Nebraska winters at Sandpipers Resort in the Rio Grande Valley. They spent many summer weekends at their "Cabin on the Lake" at Prairie Haven Resort in Kansas.

Bob's favorite pastimes included reading, dancing, playing Sheephead (a complicated card game), gardening, remodeling and landscaping his home, attending live theatrical and musical performances, meditating, birding, camping, RVing, and studying the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh's Engaged Buddhism.

Bob was a founding member of the Tri-Faith Initiative where Countryside Community Church is the Christian presence.

Bob's entire family rallied around him during his final six months. His sister, Joyce and brother, Gary, along with his wife Sue, took extended time off to be with Megan as Bob's skilled and steady caregivers. Special thanks go to the staff at the Josie Harper Hospice House where Bob spent his last 11 days.

Bob is survived by his wife, Megan, his son, Joseph Ladislav Vacha (wife, Jaimie and their children, Henry Ladislav and Elizabeth Margaret) and son, Benedict Robert Vacha. Bob is also survived by his first wife and the mother of his sons, Maggi Renner Vacha; siblings - Steve Vacha (Molly), Gary Vacha (Sue), Joyce Hines (Bill), Jane Yovino Young (Carlos), and Nancy Winter (Dave); half-brother, Marvin Vacha (Misty), half-sister, Jamie Cross; fourteen grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Bob is preceded in death by his mother Rose Ann Twehous Vacha, and his father Ladislav (Laddie) Vacha.

A CELEBRATION OF BOB'S LIFE will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Countryside Community Church, 13130 Faith Plaza (132 and Pacific Streets). VISITATION with family is 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Following the service, there will be a RECEPTION downstairs.

Bob's wish was to have his sons scatter his ashes along Nebraska's country roads. His gravestone will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Honey Locust Sangha / Omaha Community of Mindful Living OR Heron Haven Wetlands Sanctuary, PO Box 103, Boys Town, NE 68010.