Childhood made her strong
Fanny Harbus, 107, had been a refugee and always worked. She "hated war.
Fanny Harbus was tough, her family said. She was still chopping wood at 100 and cooking family meals at 102.
And she was doing her daily exercises until a few months before she died on Sept. 26 at age 107.
Harbus, who was born Fedosia (Fanny) Gordeyko, learned early how to survive.
She was born in Belarus. When the Germans invaded in 1915, her father joined the Russian army and was killed shortly afterward. Her mother died 18 months later, leaving five children orphaned.
They fled with other refugees into the interior of Russia, said her daughter Nina Frauenfelder of Superior.
"It was harsh," Frauenfelder said. "They had to live on wild mushrooms and berries."
Details of her history were sometimes hard to come by due to Harbus' heavy Russian accent.
But in 1921 Harbus was able to come to the United States, landing at Ellis Island and getting a job in a candy factory.
She then went to Chicago "because many Russians had settled there," Frauenfelder said, and she worked as a seamstress for a tent and awning company.
She had only three years of education, but had sewn for years. One time when her parents were out of the house she pulled down the pink drapes in their home and made a dress, bloomers and bonnet for one of his sisters, Shefte said. "She was a bit of a rascal."
She met Stanley Harbus in Chicago when they were in a play together, and they were married on July 14, 1938.
In Denver she worked for Denver Shade and Drapery and her husband opened Stanley's Barbershop in downtown Denver. They also owned Stanley's Motel on Colfax Avenue. He died in 1970. She continued working.
"She believed in hard work," said Frauenfelder, and made her own and her family's clothes.
"She could look at a finely tailored suit and copy it," Shefte said.
"I would tell her I could never do that," Shefte said. She would answer, 'Of course you can. What's that on your shoulders? It's not a cabbage. It's a head.' "
"She had a feisty personality," her daughter said.
Her one and only driving experience was at age 70, when she got her two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren in an Olds Cutlass. "She shot back at what felt like 50 miles an hour, hit a post and we jumped out," said daughter Maryann Lanham of Arvada.
It was just as well. Harbus never learned to read English, save for the words she learned on TV's "Wheel of Fortune," Lanham said.
She was also the "original recycler," her family said. "She saved nails and smoothed out wrapping paper."
Harbus "hated war," Frauenfelder said, and didn't even want the word mentioned in her presence. She always "took the side of the oppressed."
Fedosia Gordeyko was born in Grodno, Belarus, on April 10, 1901. She was called Fanny all her life.
In addition to her daughters and granddaughter, she is survived by three other grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, three step- great-grandchildren and a niece, Vera Lasek of London, Ontario, Canada.
Fanny Harbus, 107, had been a refugee and always worked. She "hated war.
Fanny Harbus was tough, her family said. She was still chopping wood at 100 and cooking family meals at 102.
And she was doing her daily exercises until a few months before she died on Sept. 26 at age 107.
Harbus, who was born Fedosia (Fanny) Gordeyko, learned early how to survive.
She was born in Belarus. When the Germans invaded in 1915, her father joined the Russian army and was killed shortly afterward. Her mother died 18 months later, leaving five children orphaned.
They fled with other refugees into the interior of Russia, said her daughter Nina Frauenfelder of Superior.
"It was harsh," Frauenfelder said. "They had to live on wild mushrooms and berries."
Details of her history were sometimes hard to come by due to Harbus' heavy Russian accent.
But in 1921 Harbus was able to come to the United States, landing at Ellis Island and getting a job in a candy factory.
She then went to Chicago "because many Russians had settled there," Frauenfelder said, and she worked as a seamstress for a tent and awning company.
She had only three years of education, but had sewn for years. One time when her parents were out of the house she pulled down the pink drapes in their home and made a dress, bloomers and bonnet for one of his sisters, Shefte said. "She was a bit of a rascal."
She met Stanley Harbus in Chicago when they were in a play together, and they were married on July 14, 1938.
In Denver she worked for Denver Shade and Drapery and her husband opened Stanley's Barbershop in downtown Denver. They also owned Stanley's Motel on Colfax Avenue. He died in 1970. She continued working.
"She believed in hard work," said Frauenfelder, and made her own and her family's clothes.
"She could look at a finely tailored suit and copy it," Shefte said.
"I would tell her I could never do that," Shefte said. She would answer, 'Of course you can. What's that on your shoulders? It's not a cabbage. It's a head.' "
"She had a feisty personality," her daughter said.
Her one and only driving experience was at age 70, when she got her two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren in an Olds Cutlass. "She shot back at what felt like 50 miles an hour, hit a post and we jumped out," said daughter Maryann Lanham of Arvada.
It was just as well. Harbus never learned to read English, save for the words she learned on TV's "Wheel of Fortune," Lanham said.
She was also the "original recycler," her family said. "She saved nails and smoothed out wrapping paper."
Harbus "hated war," Frauenfelder said, and didn't even want the word mentioned in her presence. She always "took the side of the oppressed."
Fedosia Gordeyko was born in Grodno, Belarus, on April 10, 1901. She was called Fanny all her life.
In addition to her daughters and granddaughter, she is survived by three other grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, three step- great-grandchildren and a niece, Vera Lasek of London, Ontario, Canada.
Childhood made her strong
Fanny Harbus, 107, had been a refugee and always worked. She "hated war.
Fanny Harbus was tough, her family said. She was still chopping wood at 100 and cooking family meals at 102.
And she was doing her daily exercises until a few months before she died on Sept. 26 at age 107.
Harbus, who was born Fedosia (Fanny) Gordeyko, learned early how to survive.
She was born in Belarus. When the Germans invaded in 1915, her father joined the Russian army and was killed shortly afterward. Her mother died 18 months later, leaving five children orphaned.
They fled with other refugees into the interior of Russia, said her daughter Nina Frauenfelder of Superior.
"It was harsh," Frauenfelder said. "They had to live on wild mushrooms and berries."
Details of her history were sometimes hard to come by due to Harbus' heavy Russian accent.
But in 1921 Harbus was able to come to the United States, landing at Ellis Island and getting a job in a candy factory.
She then went to Chicago "because many Russians had settled there," Frauenfelder said, and she worked as a seamstress for a tent and awning company.
She had only three years of education, but had sewn for years. One time when her parents were out of the house she pulled down the pink drapes in their home and made a dress, bloomers and bonnet for one of his sisters, Shefte said. "She was a bit of a rascal."
She met Stanley Harbus in Chicago when they were in a play together, and they were married on July 14, 1938.
In Denver she worked for Denver Shade and Drapery and her husband opened Stanley's Barbershop in downtown Denver. They also owned Stanley's Motel on Colfax Avenue. He died in 1970. She continued working.
"She believed in hard work," said Frauenfelder, and made her own and her family's clothes.
"She could look at a finely tailored suit and copy it," Shefte said.
"I would tell her I could never do that," Shefte said. She would answer, 'Of course you can. What's that on your shoulders? It's not a cabbage. It's a head.' "
"She had a feisty personality," her daughter said.
Her one and only driving experience was at age 70, when she got her two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren in an Olds Cutlass. "She shot back at what felt like 50 miles an hour, hit a post and we jumped out," said daughter Maryann Lanham of Arvada.
It was just as well. Harbus never learned to read English, save for the words she learned on TV's "Wheel of Fortune," Lanham said.
She was also the "original recycler," her family said. "She saved nails and smoothed out wrapping paper."
Harbus "hated war," Frauenfelder said, and didn't even want the word mentioned in her presence. She always "took the side of the oppressed."
Fedosia Gordeyko was born in Grodno, Belarus, on April 10, 1901. She was called Fanny all her life.
In addition to her daughters and granddaughter, she is survived by three other grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, three step- great-grandchildren and a niece, Vera Lasek of London, Ontario, Canada.
Fanny Harbus, 107, had been a refugee and always worked. She "hated war.
Fanny Harbus was tough, her family said. She was still chopping wood at 100 and cooking family meals at 102.
And she was doing her daily exercises until a few months before she died on Sept. 26 at age 107.
Harbus, who was born Fedosia (Fanny) Gordeyko, learned early how to survive.
She was born in Belarus. When the Germans invaded in 1915, her father joined the Russian army and was killed shortly afterward. Her mother died 18 months later, leaving five children orphaned.
They fled with other refugees into the interior of Russia, said her daughter Nina Frauenfelder of Superior.
"It was harsh," Frauenfelder said. "They had to live on wild mushrooms and berries."
Details of her history were sometimes hard to come by due to Harbus' heavy Russian accent.
But in 1921 Harbus was able to come to the United States, landing at Ellis Island and getting a job in a candy factory.
She then went to Chicago "because many Russians had settled there," Frauenfelder said, and she worked as a seamstress for a tent and awning company.
She had only three years of education, but had sewn for years. One time when her parents were out of the house she pulled down the pink drapes in their home and made a dress, bloomers and bonnet for one of his sisters, Shefte said. "She was a bit of a rascal."
She met Stanley Harbus in Chicago when they were in a play together, and they were married on July 14, 1938.
In Denver she worked for Denver Shade and Drapery and her husband opened Stanley's Barbershop in downtown Denver. They also owned Stanley's Motel on Colfax Avenue. He died in 1970. She continued working.
"She believed in hard work," said Frauenfelder, and made her own and her family's clothes.
"She could look at a finely tailored suit and copy it," Shefte said.
"I would tell her I could never do that," Shefte said. She would answer, 'Of course you can. What's that on your shoulders? It's not a cabbage. It's a head.' "
"She had a feisty personality," her daughter said.
Her one and only driving experience was at age 70, when she got her two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren in an Olds Cutlass. "She shot back at what felt like 50 miles an hour, hit a post and we jumped out," said daughter Maryann Lanham of Arvada.
It was just as well. Harbus never learned to read English, save for the words she learned on TV's "Wheel of Fortune," Lanham said.
She was also the "original recycler," her family said. "She saved nails and smoothed out wrapping paper."
Harbus "hated war," Frauenfelder said, and didn't even want the word mentioned in her presence. She always "took the side of the oppressed."
Fedosia Gordeyko was born in Grodno, Belarus, on April 10, 1901. She was called Fanny all her life.
In addition to her daughters and granddaughter, she is survived by three other grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, three step- great-grandchildren and a niece, Vera Lasek of London, Ontario, Canada.
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