In loving memory of our bright light, husband, father, son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend, Derek "Snake" Havelka, who passed away on December 01, 2023. He was surrounded by the same amount of love he put into the world and went home knowing how much he meant to everyone here still on earth.

Derek was the devoted husband of Lesley Havelka, better known to him as “Momma, Babydoll, or LP” and loving father of Brehna Havelka, who was his life’s pride and joy and his greatest happiness, better known to him as “B, B Sting, Sweet Thing or Little Snake”. He was the first son of Mary Havelka, who he lovingly called “Big Red and Mom” and made it a priority to speak to her daily even if it was only for a moment. He is the brother of Erin and Jamie, who he has always hoped and wanted the best for and did everything he could to guide them through life as their big brother. He was a loyal and devoted brother to Rudy and Joey, of whom he would have given everything in his power to make sure they knew how important they were to him and how much he loved them and every adventure they shared throughout his time here. Along with his immediate family there is a list of so many others who Derek was loved by and who he loved. His Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins, Nephews and Nieces, and his never-ending list of friends that will deeply miss him.

One of the kindest souls on this planet, Derek is described by people as genuine, caring, kind, loving, thoughtful, brave, magnetic, a free gentle spirit, forgiving, humorous, talkative, strong, a warrior, a fierce lover of his wife and daughter, and a strong lover of his family, tenacious, charismatic, handsome, confident, happy, welcoming, accepting, fun, introspective, silly, a concerned friend and the list goes on and on. Everyone was drawn to Derek, and he would always make you feel like the world revolved around you when you spoke with him, even in his times of struggle. He would do anything for his family, and he would do anything he could to help others if they needed it. He was truly a selfless person.

His wife Lesley and daughter Brehna were the loves of his life, and after his family Derek had many other things in life that gave him joy. His love of the ocean could not be denied, one of his safe and happy places, he loved being in the water and at the beach. He didn’t have to be somewhere fancy, in fact, he much preferred the more rugged beach life. Salt and sand ran through his veins. So many days of his life were spent with his boogie board, catching the waves, laying in the sun and just being close to nature. Derek was an avid music lover, among his favorites were Depeche Mode, Tool, Perfect Circle, Morrisey, anything 80’s, and those old country tunes that he loved to listen to on his many family trips to Concan, TX, another place he holds dear to his heart. His continuous serenades will be greatly missed by all who know him.

Joys can come in big and small ways and anyone who knew Derek knew they would not get out of the frequent ear flicks that brought him so much happiness. The sound of the ear flip was one of Derek’s favorite noises, and he would make sure to hear it when he was with you, he even had his own ranking system for ears, among the thousands of ear flips Derek gave he ranked his top favorites and was always on the search for the best ears. Derek also considered himself a brilliant cook, which he was, and put as much thought into his cooking as he did into the people he loved. It was never too hot or cold for him to start up his grill, charcoal and mesquite only because that is the only way to grill. It didn’t matter where he was, he was the cook, at home, vacations, work, Derek put love into each and every meal he prepared because he cared for the people he was cooking for that much, and also because Derek was proud to be lovingly called a food snob by his closest friends.

If you knew Derek at all, you would quickly know of his love for snakes, which stems from his early life when he was given the nickname “Sneaky Snake”, a loving term that would stay with him for the rest of his time here but be shortened to just “Snake” as he was called by his family and close friends. When he would introduce himself to anyone he would say “You can call me Derek….. or Snake”, which was always said with his trademark smirk and met with a questioning giggle from whoever he was meeting. Over time this nickname became a part of him and who he was, and everyone knew who you were talking about when you said “Snake”. Dereks’ love for all creatures stems from this title and it wasn’t only people who he saw the best in, but also all of earths creatures. There are so many times Derek would speak of his love for snakes and be met with “uh, no thank you” or “nope nope no” from people. He always giggled and explained to them how everything here has a purpose and that snakes are a special creature not to be afraid of but appreciated. He cared for his pet snakes, “Snaky” and “Two” with pride, and with the intention to give them the best life he could, which Lesley and Brehna will continue to do.

Derek found retreat in his home in Liberty Hill, TX with Lesley and Brehna. He loved getting out his chainsaw and clearing trees, gardening, planting, cleaning the pool was a daily necessity for him as he loved to see the clear blue water up against the wooded property. Cool, breezy days would find Derek starting his morning early with a hot tea in hand sitting outside just taking in the beauty of the scenery. You could often find him in his garage working on a thousand projects at once and so happy to be using his hands, which he loved to do. Many times, those projects were for others, especially his sweet girl Brehna. Derek was definitely a family man and would do anything needed for his family and home. He made it his life’s goal to give his daughter as much love as he knew how to give to anyone or anything. He loves Brehna with every ounce of his being. He always said when he heard her heartbeat for the first time that that was it for him, the love he felt was overwhelming and sometimes he didn’t even know how to harness it all. Even in harder times when he wasn’t feeling good, he loved to be with her wherever she was, lounging at home, a softball field, the beach, a road trip, cooking, there wasn’t anywhere or anything he wouldn’t do for and with her. The amount of pride he carried for his B was insurmountable to anything else in this world and the amount of love can only be described as one that will cross worlds. He loved his wife Lesley endlessly and would go to the ends of the earth for her, their connection was described by someone as Gods earthly example of true love and a connection of souls that remained through sickness and health, and one that death cannot part. Their love for each other will continue in her heart and will be a beacon of Dereks light for the rest of her time in this world.

Derek leaves a legacy of love, light and truth behind as he takes his next journey. He is probably already busy clearing a path for the rest of us as we continue our time here on earth, waiting to see Derek again. When we have that opportunity, I am sure that path will be cleared.

Dereks funeral service will be held at Noon on Saturday January 6, 2024 at St. Patrick’s Church, in Corpus Christi, TX. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to his family to help them carry out Derek’s last wishes and legacy or to your local blood bank in Dereks name. Derek was forever grateful to those who donated blood and platelets as he had to receive so many of these during his 10 years of treatments. He always said the people who donated helped give him more time here with his family and he thanks them.

Derek, Snake, Daddy, Son, Browski you are now pain free forever and at peace with the lord, you will live on forever in our hearts and minds. We love you so much. We are so proud of you. We will strive every day to live a life you would be proud of us for, and to always try to shine the light as bright as you did for so many. We will miss you every day until we meet again. But just know while we are here, we got this!! 

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/derek-havelka/obituary/

Copy