Emile Marie Harbour

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 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 housed workers from nearby coal mines. Emile graduated high school after Pearl Harbor; so, she was inspired to join the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. She moved to New York City to attend Bellevue School of Nursing, part of New York University’s College of Medicine. After the war, Emile’s career took her to various hospitals in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. She did not marry until her mid-30s. She enjoyed a glamorous single life and told 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 Mount Alto Veterans Hospital in Washington, DC. She met her husband, Shelby. In 1965, Emile retired from the VA when she became pregnant and the couple settled in Rockville, Md., with their new baby, Kimberly. Shelby’s older children, Jan and Diana, visited often. In 1977, Emile and Shelby retired 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. She valued education and the arts. She was an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, writing reviews for the West Huntington Library. She loved listening to Broadway tunes. Emile attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church for more than 40 years, where her parish friends sustained her. Emile’s immediate family includes her daughter, Kimberly Harbour, and Kim’s husband, Kris Hall, of Hurricane, W.Va.; Emile’s step-son Jan Harbour and his wife Linda of Huntington, and her step-daughter Diana Ehlich and her husband Scott of Forest, Va. Emile had six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, most of whom live in the Huntington area. A Funeral Liturgy are planned for 10 a.m. on Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Doug Ondeck, followed by the Rite of Committal at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Barboursville, W.Va. Visitation will be held at the church on Sunday evening, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Refreshments will be in the parish hall. In lieu of cut flowers, Emile’s family is sponsoring a landscaping project at Sacred Heart. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.regerfh.com.