Emile Harbour, 92, of Kenova, W.Va., died on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, at Cabell Huntington Hospital. She was healthy, active and enjoying her home and garden nearly until the end.
Emile was born in 1926, the only child to Emil and Mary Frycke of Hazelton, Pa. Her parents were first-generation children of Slovakian immigrants who passed through Ellis Island in the late 1800s. She lived with her extended family who worked in the textile mills and took in borders from the nearby coal mines.  Emile graduated high school after Pearl Harbor; so, she was inspired to join the United States Cadet Nurse Corps for the World War II effort. She moved to New York City to attend the Bellevue School of Nursing, part of New York University’s College of Medicine.  After the war, Emile’s nursing career took her to work in various hospitals in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Emile did not marry until her mid-30s. She enjoyed a glamorous single life – telling stories of going to Harlem’s Cotton Club, meeting artists and fashion designers, attending Broadway shows and travelling to Europe and to Mexico with her friends. In 1959, Emile transferred to the Mount Alto Veterans Hospital in Washington, DC. She met her husband, Shelby, when she asked for directions to the Catholic church. In 1965, Emile retired from the VA hospital when she became pregnant. The couple settled in Rockville, Md., with their new daughter, Kimberly. Shelby’s older children, Jan and Diana, visited often.  In 1977, Emile and Shelby moved to a home on two acres in Kenova, W.Va. The couple were devoted companions, enjoying a 50-year marriage of playing scrabble, shopping, gardening, cooking and travelling (including to China!).  After Shelby’s death, Emile remained active and enjoyed travelling and gardening. She valued education and the arts. She was an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, devouring books and writing reviews for the West Huntington Library. She loved listening to Broadway show tunes. Emile attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church for more than 40 years. Her parish friends sustained her, along with visits from her family.  Emile’s immediate family includes her daughter, Kimberly Harbour, and her husband, Kris Hall, of Hurricane, W.Va.; her step-son Jan Harbour and his wife Linda of Huntington, and her step-daughter Diana Ehlich and her husband Scott of Forest, Va. She had six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, most of whom live in the Huntington area.  Funeral Liturgy will be conducted at 10am Monday, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church by Father Douglas Ondeck, followed by the Rite of Committal at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Barboursville, W.Va. Friends may attend a visitation at the church on Sunday evening, from 3 to 5pm, with refreshments and an open house offered at the parish hall.