Mary Skluzacek was born in Helena Township, on the north side of New Prague, Minnesota on September 15, 1876. She had six other brothers and sisters. Her father died young in 1886 when he was kicked in the head by a horse – Mary was only 10. Mary had to walk 5 miles to school. She wore wooden shoes and in the winter that they used to add newspaper to, to keep their feet warm. Mary received her First Communion on June 22, 1890 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in New Prague, with Father Tichy officiating.
Mary was married at the age of 16 to Wenceslaus Krenik, also of New Prague. By coincidence, Mary’s mother, Elizabeth Kodadek, lived in a log cabin 300 feet from where Wenceslaus was born, on the Jacob Krenik farm on the southeast side of New Prague.

Mary and her husband Wencel were allocated 80 acres of farmland by Wencel’s father on the southeast side of New Prague. They shared another 80 acres with Wencel’s brother Frank. They had nine children while living on the New Prague farm: Wencle (Jim), Matthew, Mary, Frank, Eleanor, Louie, Rose, Lillian and Bohumil. Matthew died at the age of 1 ½ and was buried on the cemetery plot that Jakub and Barbora Krenik would later be buried on, at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery in New Prague.

In February 1910, Wencel purchased 320 acres of land in Le Center, and in the spring, after the thaw in April, the family moved. They moved by wagon and the cattle were driven. Some of the cattle got stuck in the mud north of Le Center. Wencel had to send someone to get the cattle out of the mud. They sold their New Prague farm to V. Prokes.
There was no house on the Le Center land. It is believed that Wencel had a grainery built after he purchased the land and before the family moved. This is where Wencel and Mary and their eight children lived for 4 years, until the house was built. These were difficult years. The year of the move, Mary was pregnant with triplets. They were born just before Christmas in the cold of winter on December 16, 1910. Joseph Matthew was the first to die, the day before Christmas on December 24, 1910. George Joseph died two weeks later on January 8 and Bozena (Beatrice) died a week after that on January 11, 1911. How difficult that must have been for the family.

Sylvester Joseph was born year later on February 17, 1912. In 1913, the Vosepjka brothers were hired to build the house. Three more children were born: Agnes, Stanislaus, and John. Mary gave birth to 16 children total, over a span of 27 years.

In July 1937 Wencel passed away due to complications after surgery. Mary continued to live on the farm with her sons Louie, Frank and Bomie. In 1959 she broke her hip and prayed that God would take her after she determined that she wouldn’t be able to walk. She was 83.