Lucie Chytil

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on December 3, 1927

Departed on June 3, 2014 and resided in Nashville, Tennessee

Lucie Chytil
December 3, 1927 - June 3, 2014
Our beloved Lucie passed away in her home on June 3. Those who were lucky to have met her were blessed by her endless kindness and sweet angelic spirit. Her beauty, generosity, and fabulous cooking will be dearly missed.
A devout Catholic, "Babi" was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to Jan and Bozena Scheinost (nee Sedlecka). A voracious reader to her last days, Babi's first love was English literature. She became an "Anglophile" at a young age -- hoping to study in England. Alas, World War II broke out in 1938, when she was just 11 years old.
With her dream to go abroad on hold, Lucie became involved with basketball through her best friends Vlada Feierabend and Milena Chlumska. Lucie became quite the star player; in the late 1940's and early 1950's, her team Sparta, the national team, won four Czech championships and also won third place bronze in the European championship in 1950. In that game our Lucie scored 38 points. Her beautiful picture and article appear in the Czech Wikipedia! http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucie_Chytilov%C3%A1-Scheinostov%C3%A1
While playing basketball, Lucie met Frank "Deda", her husband of 60 years. Deda also played basketball for Sparta. They married in 1949, one year after the Communists gained control of Czechoslovakia.
Lucie survived both the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany (1938-1945) as well the Communist dictatorship starting in 1948. In 1965, after one failed attempt, Lucie and Frank successfully defected from their homeland, and with the help of many dear friends and family, settled in the USA, ending up in Nashville in 1969. Both worked to achieve the American Dream and successfully provided a better life for their children in the United States.
After 25 years, Lucie retired from Vanderbilt University where she worked as a lab technician supporting her husband's research in Vitamin A.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Frank Chytil, Professor Emeritus of Vanderbilt University, her brother Jan Scheinost, and sister Eva Kratochvilova.
Lucie is survived by her children: Frank Chytil, Jr. (Marcela), Anna Brewer (Bill), Helena Bewley, and grandchildren: Jackson and Shannon Bewley, and Frank Chytil, III. Also her niece, Michaelka Cerna, nephews Marek and Tomas Libert of Prague, Czech Republic and nephew, Daniel Kutvirt (Susan) and their children Gregory and Jacqueline of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A Memorial Mass will be held in her honor on Friday, June 20th at 11:00 am, at St. Henry Catholic Church. All who were charmed by our Lucie are invited to attend the celebration of her life.