Effie Kurtik

1915 - 2010

Effie Kurtik, age 95, of Westlake Village and formerly of Richeyville, Pa., died peacefully Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Thousand Oaks.

Born June 7, 1915 in Daisytown, Pa., she was the daughter of William and Dorothy Duboska Lemonovich. On Aug. 17, 1938, she married Frank Kurtik, who died on Jan. 5, 1994 at the age of 88. After her husband's death, Effie moved to California to be near her son Richard and enjoy the milder climate. 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 lovingly tended flowers that varied 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, cakes, and breads. 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.

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.

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, 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.

At a later date a memorial service will be held in Pennsylvania and interment will be in Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, California Borough, Pa.