Catherine A. Perkowski

Catherine Perkowski, 100, of Elm Park, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026. Catherine, born October 26, 1925, and affectionately called Kitty or Kasia, was the eleventh of thirteen children born to a pair of Polish immigrants who came to Staten Island in the late 19th Century as children, met, and later married. The couple built their own house on Winant St., teaching their children how to garden and raise chickens, while witnessing the opening of the Bayonne Bridge in 1931.

The family home was close to St. Adalbert R.C. Church, as well as the stronghold of Polish Bayonne, N.J. Andrew Ostrowski, Catherine's nephew and godchild, adds "I always get a kick out of hearing about how my mother along with my Aunt Kasia, being the two youngest of the girls, were tasked with having to hike over the Bayonne Bridge to purchase freshly-made kielbasa and 'babki,' Polish meat and bread cake favorites, in the Polish neighborhood of Bayonne."

Catherine was brought up on the traditional Polish values of hard work ethic and deep faith. Growing up as a teenager during World War Il, she graduated from Port Richmond High School, then went on to land a job in the mailroom at AT&T as an internal 'runner,' which was a person delivering and managing the mail inhouse. She eventually worked her way up to a supervisory position.

Catherine enjoyed summers at Faber Pool on Richmond Terrace, and winter hikes to Cloves Lakes, where she and her siblings would go ice skating.

After her parents died, and as some of her brothers and sisters married and moved out, Catherine became the 'breadwinner' of the Winant Street home. Her generosity and care soon became very apparent. Adds John Ostrowski, her nephew and caregiver, "If I brought something over there, say a bag of donuts or a loaf of bread, she would hand me $20 and when I would go to give her change, she would say 'No, keep it for gas.' She was very generous like that."

Catherine was a longtime member of the St. Adalbert parish choir and served as treasurer for several of the church's functions, then run by the Rev. Eugene Carella, who is now pastor of the Church of St. Rita in Meiers Corners.

Catherine was a huge New York Yankees fan, and often playfully 'battled' her sister Stephanie, who was a huge New York Mets fan, for television rights when both teams were airing their games.

Christmas and Easter were especially joyous occasions at the Winant Street house as family relatives visited to catch up on the latest happenings, welcomed to a table filled with edible delights, cold beer, and plenty of reminiscing.

Catherine was predeceased by both of her parents, Anna and Wladyslaw, as well as her five brothers Walter, John, Raymond, Peter, and Philip, and six of her sisters, Rose, Helen, Stephanie, Teresa, Angela, and Margaret, and is solely survived by her 97-year-old sister Josephine Ostrowski.

Catherine recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a feature published in the Staten Island Advance as Staten Island's latest centenarian.

Visiting hours will be held at Harmon Funeral Home, 571 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310, on Wednesday 1/7 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Adalbert R.C. Church in Elm Park at 10 a.m. on Thursday 1/8. Interment to follow at St. Peter's Cemetery.

Flowers and anything emerald-green, Catherine's favorite color, would be greatly appreciated.