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Sophie E. Mistkowski
Sophie E. Mistkowski of East Hampton died peacefully on December 28. She was 106.
She was born on May 15, 1917, in Water Mill to Polish immigrants Teofil and Lily (Sadowski) Mistkowski. She would often say that it was a hard life, but a happy one, with family and friends helping one another.
She attended school in Southampton until the eighth grade. She worked many jobs helping the family. At age 18, she moved to Jamaica, Queens, to attend beauty school. After graduation, she worked in Vally Stream for many years, before moving back home to start her own business, Water Mill Beauty Salon.
Retiring in the late 1980s, she and her brother, Vincent, moved to East Hampton, where she lived until her death.
On her 100th birthday, she received congratulations from Pope Francis, State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and Governor Andrew Como. People were making too much of a fuss, she would say. Asked what the best invention of the last 100 years was, she answered indoor plumbing.
Stopping by to see her, she would always greet you with a warm welcome and you couldn’t leave without a cup of tea and cookies. She enriched the lives of those around her through her joyous and sincere love for others, which only comes from the fullness of a life well lived.
She was predeceased by her parents; sister Helen; brothers Sigmond, John and Vincent. She never married.
A funeral Mass took place on January 5 at Our Lady of Poland RC Church in Southampton. Burial followed at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Cemetery in Southampton.
She leaves behind cousins Joanne Schaefer and Karen Santacroce of East Hampton, Thomas Halliday of Eureka California and Marie Schoemmell of West End North Carolina, Camille Considine of Flanders, Barbara Nowaski of Stonybrook, Nick Nowaski of Riverhead and their families.
Staff Writer on Feb 5, 2024