"Emilie was the neighbor anyone would love to have," said Levecke Mas.
And at 99, most neighbors would have said Emilie Kerkof was still just as youthful as a twenty-something. She loved to be caught up on the neighborhood gossip and enjoyed a Miller High Life from time-to-time.
Mrs. Kerkof was born on Feb. 28, 1907, in Melebeke, Belgium. She married when she was 21 and moved to Beacon Hill in the 1930s to what would be the house she would reside in the rest of her life. While Mrs. Kerkof left all her relatives behind in Belgium, it wouldn't be long before her Beacon Hill neighbors would become just like family.
In the late 1940s Mrs. Kerkof befriended Bertha, a woman who lived just two houses down. The two labored together as garment workers in a nearby factory, and, along with their husbands, the couples formed an inseparable foursome.
"The four of them would do everything together," Mas said of Mrs. Kerkof, Bertha and their husbands. While the foursome was well known throughout the neighborhood, Mas said that the duo, Bertha and Mrs. Kerkof, became extremely popular with the neighbors.
Bertha and Mrs. Kerkof would walk arm-in-arm down to the local Red Apple every day. Along the way, the two would "patrol" the neighborhood, Mas said.
"It was in a neighborly way, but maybe a little more than that," Mas noted.
They would keep tabs on their neighbors, letting others know if they had "too many plants" or were "too messy." If Bertha and Mrs. Kerkof saw something out of place, they took care of it; from neighbor's garbage cans to bringing in the mail.
"They knew everyone and everyone knew them," Mas said. "They were the neighborhood ambassadors."
During the summer evenings, Bertha and Mrs. Kerkof would hold "court" in their backyard, Mas remembered. They would set up a table and chairs and have a beer as neighbors stopped by, bringing them food and conversation.
The duo also watched nightly TV together and Mas, who lived in between the women, said she would see Mrs. Kerkof walking back home at 8:58 every night.
"They lived very simply, very modest. Emilie liked everything really clean. Bertha and Emilie wouldn't even cook in their ovens because they liked them clean," Mas said. "I would eat off Emilie's floor. They just had the most pristine houses."
Mas noted that besides keeping her own house immaculately clean, Mrs. Kerkof also liked to take care of the community. Mrs. Kerkof's street had an alley behind the homes, and she made sure it was always spotless. Mrs. Kerkof also took it upon herself to sweep the leaves off of Mas' yard.
As Mrs. Kerkof grew older, she watched many of those dear to her pass away. Bertha, Mrs. Kerkof's husband and Emilie's four siblings back in Belgium all preceded her in death.
"She basically outlived everybody," Mas noted. Mrs. Kerkof never had children, so as she began to need help in her elderly years, her neighbors took action by helping her with everything from changing a light bulb to bringing her a couple cases of Sprite, which Mas noted one neighbor always did.
Mrs. Kerkof began to develop dementia, and as it worsened her friends and neighbors realized she needed extensive care and moved her into an assisted-living facility. While there, Mas said Mrs. Kerkof fell and broke her hip, resulting in surgery at the age of 99. While recovering from the procedure Mrs. Kerkof contracted pneumonia and passed away on April 1.
Shortly after, the neighborhood worked to put together a funeral for Mrs. Kerkof and on April 8 around 40 neighbors and friends gathered to celebrate her life at St. Peters Cathedral.
"She was a hard-working woman who expected everyone to be honest and was kind to everyone," said Father Peter J. Duggan.
"She could eat as much as two grown men" Duggan joked. "She had a great appetite, but it didn't affect her figure!"
Toward the end of the service, the neighbors all shared their fond memories of Mrs. Kerkof, leaving many teary-eyed.
"She had a smiling face and a cheerful and gentle demeanor," a neighbor remembered. "She made you want to give her a big hug."
Katie Kirschke may be contacted via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]
