Effie Kurtik
Effie Kurtik, age 95, of Westlake Village, CA., formerly of Richeyville, Pa., died Sunday October 3, 2010 in Thousand Oaks, CA. All who knew her will miss her. Family, friends and strangers were equally touched by her warmth, generosity and kindness. Born June 7, 1915 in Daisytown, Pa., she was the daughter of William and Dorothy Duboska Lemonovich. On August 17, 1938, she married Frank Kurtik, who died on January 5, 1994 at the age of 88. After her husband’s death, Effie moved from Pennsylvania to California to be near her son Richard and enjoy the milder climate.
Effie witnessed great changes during her long life. The daughter of Polish immigrants, she was born in a southwestern Pennsylvania mining town during Woodrow Wilson’s first term as president. As a teenager, she saw her family turned out of their home by the Coal and Iron Police during a bitter strike. Effie came of age in the 1930s when Franklin Roosevelt implemented “New Deal” programs to counter the Great Depression. The young wife of a coal miner during World War II, she listened to radio programs in that pre-television era for nighttime company when her husband worked late shifts.
While raising a family back in Pennsylvania, Effie’s and Frank’s summer gardens yielded bountiful produce, much of which was canned or frozen for the winter. Food from the garden was supplemented by chickens and hogs, even more important when Frank was out of work during the recession that followed the steel strike of 1959. Effie’s gardening efforts extended to her flowers which she lovingly tended. In garden plots large and small, she continually varied her plantings, but loved them all, from peonies to marigolds to roses.
In her kitchen, Effie was an all-around cook of exceptional skill who always sought new recipes and was equally skilled as a baker renowned for her pies and cakes. Work with her hands extended to sewing and crocheting. Not only were many afghans and slippers given to friends and family as gifts, but after moving to Westlake Village she was part of a group that made hats and blankets for premature babies. She loved company and especially looked forward to visiting or visits by her grandchildren and great-granddaughters.
Beyond the domestic realm, Effie was an avid reader who was interested in the world at large and followed current events. She enjoyed trips, notably to Las Vegas with her late daughter-in-law Kathy, and also appreciated music in various forms, especially performances in venues from Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Her longtime fondness for movies went back to her girlhood when tickets were a quarter.
A woman known for her sunny disposition and optimism, Effie was also a reflective person. As a lifelong Democrat who was philosophically tolerant without a trace of prejudice, she was pleased to see Barrack Obama’s election as the first Black president. In religion, she was a lifelong Roman Catholic, having been a member of Saint Mary’s in Daisytown, Pa.
In addition to her parents and her husband, Effie was predeceased by her brothers, John and Bruno Lemonovich and their respective wives, Ann and Helen, and also her daughter-in-law Kathleen. She is survived by three sons, Edward Kurtik (Elizabeth), of Albany, N.Y., Richard Kurtik (Susan), of Thousand Oaks, Ca., and Frank J. Kurtik (Lori Detweiler), of Uniontown, Pa.; two granddaughters, Eileen DePaula (Thomas), of Selkirk, N.Y. and Mary Ann Chiffolo (Anthony), of Colonie, N.Y.; two grandsons, Michael Kurtik, of Lynn, Mass., and David Kurtik, of Glen Burnie, Md.; two great-granddaughters, Meaghan and Emily DePaula of Selkirk, N.Y.; and two nephews, John Lemonovich, Jr. (Dorothy), of Richeyville, Pa. and William Lemonovich (Mary), of Monongahela, Pa.
Friends will be received Saturday October 23, 2010 from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M., the hour of a Celebration of Life Service, in the John B. GREENLEE FUNERAL HOME 2830 Main St. Beallsville, PA with Rev. Norman C. Hunt officiating.
Private burial will follow in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Coal Center, PA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to your favorite charity, or that something kind be done for someone, which would be in keeping with the spirit in which Effie lived her life. Online guest book and personal condolences may be accessed at www.Greenlee FuneralHome.com.