Carol Ann Bliznak

1940 - 2020

Carol Ann Bliznak

Abilene - Carol Ann Bliznak passed away peacefully on September 1, 2020, at the age of 79 with her husband, Johnny, son John, and daughter-in-law Kelley at her side. Visitation for family and friends will be from 6-8:00 PM, Thursday, September 10 at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Rd. The funeral mass will be at Holy Family Catholic Church at 10 AM, Friday, Sept. 11, followed by a graveside service at Elmwood Memorial Park.

She was born Tuesday, December 29, 1940, in Hallettsville, Texas, to Vaclav Victor and Helen Lednicky Hajovsky. She was their little "Christmas Carol". She grew up in Schulenburg, Texas, where her father owned the local Western Auto store. She attended Schulenburg High School, played alto saxophone in the band and was a majorette. She graduated from high school in 1959 and attended Incarnate Word University in San Antonio one year, and then transferred to Texas State University to obtain her Bachelor's degree in teaching in 1963. She then taught 2nd grade at Juan Linn Elementary School in Victoria, Texas from Sept. 1963 to May 1965. While she was a teacher at Juan Linn, unknown to her, one of the first-grade students, David Bliznak, told his mother that there was a very pretty 2nd grade teacher named Miss Hajovsky. When David's brother Johnny came home from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that December, 1964, for the Christmas break, his mother told Johnny about the school teacher. Johnny called her up in Schulenburg and was lucky enough to get her to say yes to a date. They dated every night after that until he went back to St. Louis. She flew up to St. Louis to visit him in January 1965, at which time he asked her to marry him, to which she said yes. They married August 8, 1965. She taught 2 more years in Wellston, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, until he graduated from medical school and started earning some money as an intern. They enjoyed 55 years of marriage. They had two sons, John Houston Bliznak, born in St. Louis 1968, and who was baptized at the Old Cathedral in St. Louis by Father Jerome Wilkerson; and Leland Wade Bliznak, born in Abilene in 1974 and baptized in Abilene. John is a practicing neuroradiologist in Abilene. Leland has autism and is non-verbal. He is a resident at the State Supported Living Center. He loves living there, and the staff takes wonderful loving care of him. He is a very loving son. Carol and Johnny visited Leland faithfully every Sunday until the COVID-19 pandemic. Carol loved Leland and John so very much and was completely devoted to them both. She has two beautiful granddaughters, Victoria Nicole, who is a sophomore medical student at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and Natalie Elizabeth, who is a senior at Wylie High School

Carol was active in the Abilene Philharmonic and was a member of the Abilene State Supported Living Center Volunteer Services Council since 1991. She has faithfully served on the Executive Board of Directors, Board of Directors, and various Committees. She also served as a Parent Member on the Human Rights Committee of the Abilene State Supported Living Center. She was a member of the "Out to Lunch Bunch" who met for lunch once a month. The members included Gwendolyn Berry, Lois Peck, Micki Wright, Byna Hood, Carolyn Kendrick, and Dian Stai. She likewise enjoyed playing classical music on her piano.

She traveled to many places with her husband to medical meetings. She especially enjoyed Tahiti and Zambia. Her favorite place to visit in the U.S. was San Francisco.

She was a wonderful, loving, and caring wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. She was perfect in every way. Her husband said many times that left to his devices, he would worry about everything, but Carol was always very positive and made him happy. He claimed she had the "happiness gene".

Carol is preceded in death by her only sibling, brother Jimmy in 1961, her parents, Victor and Helen Hajovsky, her parents-in-law, Jameson Lee Bliznak and Venita McKinney. She is survived by her husband Johnny, two sons, John and Leland, daughter-in-law Kelley, and granddaughters Victoria and Natalie, as well as various nieces, nephews, and cousins. Pall bearers are Dr. Keith Robinson, Dr. Tony Melnyk, Don Mark Nickson, Lonnie Biebighauser, Kirk Thaxton, and Mike Wheeler. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Abilene State Supported Living Center Volunteer Services Council can be made.

The family would like to thank Dr.'s Tony Melnyk, Keith Robinson, Rajendran, and Wall for their wonderful, loving care. They would like to extend to Dr. Rob Wiley a special thank you for his role in her hospitalization. A big thank you to the nurses and aids on the Anderson wing 3rd floor, Hendrick Medical Center, for their very compassionate care.

Memories may be shared and condolences submitted online at www.HamilFamilyFuneralHome.com