OPELA OIL CO., 811 E. Main, began Sept. 1, 1978, when Jerry and George Opela bought the station from Vence Mlynek.
Jerry grew up in Prague, then worked for Wilson Foods in Oklahoma City. Wilson's transferred Jerry to Kansas, where he met and married Nancy.
Later, he was transferred again to Cherokee, Iowa, where they lived for 10 years. Nancy enjoyed staying home and taking care of their girls during those years.
They came to Prague to visit and the opportunity arose for them to have their own business, in partnership with his brother, George. Then, in 1984, Jerry bought his brother's interest, and he and Nancy became the sole proprietors.
Now Opela Oil Co. Inc. has nine employees. John Husted has been with them four years; Matt Cheatwood has worked for the Opelas two years.
Charlie Ball and Stan Redding have worked for them a year. Brady Miller, Ty Walters, John Smith, Luanna Chitsey and Jeff Maddox have been at the station less than a year.
The services they offer are oil and gas fills, alignments, oil changes, brake and muffler work, two kinds of diesel, kerosene and propane, batteries and a few parts. They deliver fuel to farmers, schools and businesses.
"We sell tires to fit anything from a four-wheeler to big tractors. If we don't have the right tire, we have quick access to it. We even have a wheelbarrow tire in stock now. We balance and rotate tires and do alignments," Nancy said.
Opela Oil Co. Inc. is open 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday. The shop part closes at 5 p.m., and the whole business is closed Sundays.
Always a good supporter of Prague, Jerry was the first person to invite me into Prague's Chamber of Commerce when I ran a business back in 1982. His encouragement for me to join was appreciated and being an active member of the chamber was a good experience for me.
Jerry is active in the Lion's Club now, enjoys working in his shop at home and usually has a few head of cattle to take care of. Nancy is an active worker in Main Street Prague and was a founding member of the local Beta Sigma Phi chapter. When she has time, Nancy also likes to sew and is a talented seamstress. Jerry and Nancy are members of the First United Methodist Church, where Jerry helps by teaching some classes.
After living on the west side of town for years, Jerry and Nancy recently built a new home on their farm just east of town. They are enjoying getting their place fixed the way they want it.
Married 33 years, Jerry and Nancy have two lovely daughters. Angie and her husband, Mic Williams, live in Tulsa. Angie, a graduate of Oklahoma State University, has her master's degree and is a certified public accountant working for Hinkle and Company, in Tulsa. Mic does marketing for the Bank of Oklahoma. They have two children: Hanna is almost 4, and Matthew is 7 1/2 months.
Beth is also a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a master's degree. She is a certified public accountant and is manager of distribution accounting for Hobby Lobby in Oklahoma City. Her husband, Mark Gonzales, is a counselor for Bair Foundation, a Christian organization. They have one child, Wesley, who is 2 months old, and the Gonzales family lives in Edmond.
KAY PRUITT FELL AND BROKE HER WRIST! She has a pink cast on her right arm from her hand to above the elbow.
It's a little hard for her to do things the normal way, but if it can be done, Kay will figure out how to do it with one arm.
She's blessed to have a great mother-in-law close and willing to help anytime with her 3-year-old twins and Ashley.
As if the wrist injury wasn't enough, Kay also went ahead with her previously scheduled laser eye surgery later in the same week. She reports that she can already see much better, without her normal glasses or contacts, and is anxious to get back to work and try to get caught up after more than a week's absence.
OKLAHOMA CAR TAGS AND FEES ARE TOO HIGH in comparison with surrounding states, and that's a fact. We recently bought a 1970 Honda motorcycle that cost $300 when it was new. We only paid $150 for it, but it cost $37.50 just to change the title over to our name and another $21.50 when the tag came due a couple months later. That seemed a bit excessive to me on a 30-year-old motorbike.
Our friends in a bordering state own a new travel trailer worth about $12,000. The tag for that new trailer only cost $18 -- for three years!
What is wrong in Oklahoma? Where is all our money going? It certainly isn't going for roads.
ST. WENCESLAUS CATHOLIC CHURCH MEMBERS enjoyed attending the 2000 celebration at the Myriad. The Rev. Adrian Vorderlandwehr rented a bus so parishioners could go together and stop for a meal on the way home.
Those attending said it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many others of the same faith. Several ethnic groups were represented and added to the festivities.
St. Wenceslaus, home of The National Shrine of The Infant Jesus of Prague, also received a plaque as one of the 10 best sites for pilgrims to visit during this special year.
THESE LAST FEW WARM DAYS, I finally felt like riding my bike outside again and have enjoyed seeing various wildlife. On my first bike ride, a lone mallard rose from a farm pond and flew off.
The other day, I saw six mallards take off from the same pond. They are so colorful and fun to watch.
Yesterday, a fat chicken hawk with a fluffy white breast watched his domain from the tip top of a tall tree. Today, he and another circled the same area as we walked by.
The biggest treat of all was seeing a deer run right up the road ahead of me until he topped the hill and jumped the fence into our pasture. I feel very blessed to live in an area surrounded by such a wide variety of animals and birds.
