Mary Turk turns 100!

Mary Turk from 1950

Mary Berkopec Turk turned 100 years old on July 25th, and was honored with a Proclamation from Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer-Gail at the Euclid Senior Center.

Mary has had an interesting life. She grew up in a happy home where “Manners, Morales and Modesty” was a motto. She remembers the Great Depression and how her mother would make extra soup and homemade bread that she would feed to the hungry people in the neighborhood. Mary said that it was always impressed upon her to seek to understand others and to be generous and giving. Mary recalled many family get-togethers where they would gather and eat homemade bread and sausages and drink homemade wine.

Mary worked at Thompson Products in Euclid at the beginning of WWII, putting together airplane valves. Mary remembers putting notes of encouragement to the troops into each box. She ended-up enlisting in the Army Air Force and served in the Pacific Overseas Technical Service Command at Alameda, California. Mary has been active in the veterans group, Women In Military Service of America.

Mary said she doesn’t look forward to too much anymore, and she wishes she could go back and start all over again. She has thoroughly enjoyed being with people.

Mary is widowed, and said that the thing that made her happiest was being Mrs. Albert Turk for 46 years. She said her life has been mostly happiness and laughter.