Leonard J. Chlup

Leonard J. Chlup was born to James and Rose (Kvasnicka) Chlup on June 25, 1939 on the family farm in Exeter, Nebraska. He passed away on March 7, 2026 at home in Crowley, Texas, surrounded by his family at the age of 86.

Proud of his Czech heritage, Leonard embraced polka music from an early age. He began playing the trumpet at 12 and joined the U Neta Orchestra in 1955, performing several nights a week while still in high school. His talent led him to play with The Royal Five and the renowned Math Sladky Band. His trumpet was featured on recordings and radio broadcasts, and he performed across the Midwest, Texas, and Canada. In 2011, he was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame in Milligan, Nebraska for his lifelong dedication to Czech music.

Leonard served his country in the United States Navy, enlisting in October 1961. He performed radar duties and served as bugler aboard the destroyer USS Morton (DD 948) during the Vietnam War. Honorably discharged in February 1966, he remained proud of his service throughout his life. He and his wife Carolyn enjoyed reunions with his shipmates, and his example inspired his granddaughter Emma Zimmerman to enlist in the Navy in 2025. He proudly attended her graduation and gave her a heartfelt salute.

He met Carolyn J. Hupka at a polka dance in 1965 while home on leave. They married in June 1966 at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, where they raised their three children, Jim, David, and Julie. The family shared many happy memories on camping trips across Nebraska, often gathering with relatives on the family farm in Exeter. His children and grandchildren were the pride of his life.

Leonard worked as a cabinet maker before joining the Soil Conservation Service as a cartography printer. In 1982, his job brought the family to Crowley, Texas. He later became a senior pressman at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, where his precision and warm personality were widely admired. He retired in 2002.

In retirement, Leonard built a cabin on the family farm in Exeter, realizing a lifelong dream. He and Carolyn spent summers there, welcoming their children and grandchildren and sharing the land as part of their heritage. They also enjoyed traveling and camping across the United States and attending their grandchildren’s activities. Though he no longer performed polka music professionally after moving to Texas, he shared his trumpet talents at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Burleson for more than 30 years, playing for both English and Spanish masses. He was named Musician of the Year there in 2015.

Leonard loved his family, his dogs, Shiner Bock, fried chicken gizzards, Czech food, polka music, old westerns, popcorn, vintage pickup trucks, dancing in the kitchen with his daughter Julie, woodworking, playing dominos, and quiet evenings on the cabin porch watching sunsets with Carolyn. Each morning, he and Carolyn began their day raising their coffee cups with the words, “Thank you, Jesus!”

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carolyn (Hupka) Chlup of Crowley, Texas; his children, Jim Chlup and wife Cyndi of Mansfield, Texas; David Chlup and wife Kristin of Fort Worth, Texas; and Julie Zimmerman and husband Steve of Arlington, Texas; and his sister, LaVerne Kempkes of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Leonard was a proud grandfather to Cameron and Carson Chlup, Lauren and Lily Chlup, and Ethan and Emma Zimmerman. He cherished his longtime friends Tom Murphy, Johnny Halama, and Melvin Motis, and was affectionately known as “The Main Dude” to many of his children’s friends.