Stan Vlasimsky, 88, of Tulsa Oklahoma died on December 12, 2011 in Tulsa Oklahoma.
Born on January 15, 1923, in Kosice in the old Czechoslovakia to Anna Hakl and Stanislav Vlasimsky.
Stan is survived by Rozina Vlasimsky , his wife of 53 years ; Sons : Richard and Stan; Daughter : Michele; Grand Children : Maggie, Claudia, Liam, Caiden, Alek, and Katja ; Brother: Jiri.
He was an active sportsman and outdoorsman in his early life and ran track, played soccer, and was an avid hunter. After WW II and while still living in Czechoslovakia, he fought the Soviets during their occupation disrupting basic services as well as shuttling people who wanted to escape the occupation across the border. He was imprisoned for "attempting to overthrow the current government and espionage" and forced to work hard labor in the Jáchymov uranium mines near Prague for 3 years. Eventually, he and a group of 7 others escaped via an abandoned mine shaft they had accessed through secret digging and explosives they had stolen from their captors.
After leaving Czechoslovakia, he made his way to Switzerland where he attended the École polytechnique de l'Université de Lausanne (EPUL) and received his Masters degree in Civil Engineering. In 1953 he immigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles where he met Rozina who had also escaped Soviet occupation and immigrated to the United States via Canada. Over the years he worked for number of engineering firms (Parsons, JF Prichard, Fluor, William Brothers Engineering) designing refineries, pipelines and other infrastructure in the United States and across the globe. During one of their stints overseas in Frankfurt, Germany his 3 children were born. In 1978, he moved back to the United States and settled permanently in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his family. He will be missed as a good husband, good father and good friend to many.
Stan was to the end a proud American. He understood what freedom was and what the loss of freedom meant based on his experiences under Soviet occupation and communist rule. In lieu of flowers think of a good story of your experience with Stan and/or donate to the "Homes for our Troops" charity.
The family would like to give special thanks to Dr Chris Hunter and his staff, Dr Robert Smith and his staff, and all the staff at the Oklahoma Heart Institute for their excellent and compassionate care of him during the last few years.
Private Funeral Services will be held on Friday, December 16
Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel