Vera Nemec

On Saturday, August 13, 2016, Vera Nemec, 92, ended her magnificent journey through this world, a journey predicted long ago in 1925 when a wandering band of gypsies stopped by her impoverished farmhouse in the Ukraine and told Vera's parents one of their children was destined to travel the world and live like royalty. Who knew it would be their meek and mild Vera? A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, August 22, 2016 at St. John Berchmans Cathedral. Officiating will be Father Peter Mangum. Visitation will be held on Sunday, August 21, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. with a prayer vigil beginning at 2:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall Street, Shreveport, LA. Vera Tsvetkov was born on September 15, 1923, in Donetsk, a mining town in the Soviet Union (now the Ukraine). During World War II, German soldiers took Vera and her sister from their home. She endured the war and married a concentration camp survivor, Jakob Nemec, who was the love of her life. Together they headed for America and moved from New York to Chicago to Oklahoma City, finally they settled in Shreveport, LA. However, Vera never forgot her roots. For years, she wrote letters and sent packages home filled with money, medicine, and clothing. Together Jake and Vera raised a son and a daughter, Eugene and Christina. They lost Eugene to leukemia, but in that loss they cultivated an inner strength and an even greater faith. When Jakob died, Vera learned to drive at 72. She served St. John Berchmans Cathedral as a dedicated member of Circle 5's of the Queen's Workers. She actively participated in a Russian club and as an AT&T Pioneers service organization volunteer. Vera will be remembered for her plumb cake and pirozhki, for how she fed the wild birds which flocked to her backyard daily. She will be remembered for her kind spirit and infinite grace, and most of all for her devotion to God, her husband, and children. Vera was the epitome of motherhood. Honoring Vera as pallbearers will be family friends. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be members of beloved Russian Club. She is survived by her daughter, Christina Nemec; three grandchildren, Lucian, Cassius, and Lila Mahan; as well as her extended family in Donetsk. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.