As he aged, James gained a lot of weight as evidenced by viewing the pictures from the 1905 through 1914. No longer was he doing heavy physical work outdoor work as in Pueblo. There are suggestions of many nights at the tavern and that along with an abundance of food in the grocery store and Katherine's great cooking may have lead to his increasing size.

The family pictures in our Picture Collections tell a story of a close and successful family. There are many group pictures and many pictures of the children at communions, confirmations, graduations, and marriages. Daughter Mary must have been a favorite as there were many engagement and wedding photos and her marriage to Lawrence Barrett in 1912 must have been a happy event.

James' Death
On January 10, 1914, James Filipek died of a heart condition, angina pectoris. A contributing cause to his death was chronic intestinal nephritis, a kidney condition. James was under a doctor's care for 6 months. He was just 50 years old and with his death it was the beginning of changing times.

When he died, James was a member of the Modern Woodsmen of America, the Catholic Order of Foresters, Sokol Vlast, and Saint John Nepomucene's Court. The Woodsmen and the Forester organizations were fraternal insurance organizations whereby members paid fees and the group would invest and pay out upon the death of one of its members. In a way, it is similar to group term life insurance that many of us can obtain from our place of employment. For people that don't have access to group insurance from work or were self employed, fraternal organizations are a way for friends and neighbors with similar backgrounds to come together to obtain insurance. In fact, several of James' organizations exist today, including the Woodsmen.

Beside the regular obituary put in for James by his family, there is a separate obituary from the president of the Modern Woodsmen in the Czech newspaper Denni Hlastal. This obituary may well be a way of both acknowledging a member's death and also providing the legal proof necessary for payment of the claim. His membership was not a last minute item. For example, in one of the letters from Pueblo, James is trying to get his ever changing address sorted out with the Woodsmen and in another letter he asks John Sokolik to pay his dues to the Stepanski Society.

Sokol Vlast is a gymnastics and fraternal insurance organization, which promotes Bohemian culture. There are still Sokols all over the USA, which include parades in native costumes and athletic competitions. The Saint John Nepomucene's Court, may have been an organization much like today's Knights of Columbus. Thus when he died, Katherine collected on at least three insurance policies. Given the grocery store, it was thought there should have been a will, but none was found. This should probably be searched again someday.

When James died, Katherine Filipek purchased a large 16-foot by 16-foot Filipek Family Plot in Resurrection Cemetery for $200. Typical rates at the time were around $1 per square foot. It is in a beautiful setting and there is large granite stone about 5 feet high. Similar to her husband planning ahead with all his insurance policies, Katherine had to be planning that her whole family's offspring would be together someday in the large family plot.

After James died, Katherine went back to her native Bohemia for a visit, her first since 1889. On her May 1914 Passport Application she is described as age 49, dark brown hair, blue eyes and 5 foot and 1/2 inches tall, although a later passport has her at 5 foot 3. It appears that no one accompanied her and her trip was both a nostalgia and grieving trip back to her home country and to be with his and her remaining relatives. Not much is known about this trip, but she was lucky to have returned before the start of World War I in August 1914.

More Moves
After James death, there appears to be some quick changes in living locations. After living at 3001 Emerald for over a decade, Katherine was living at 5241 Quincy Street just four months after James died. This location was about 6 miles west and 3 miles south of the grocery store and almost as far west as Riverside. Sons James and John lived there with her. Within a year Katherine, James and John moved 6 miles east and 3 more miles south to 7328 S. Union which is believed to be the same address that Larry and Mary Barrett lived.

Then in 1916, just two years after James' death, disaster struck again. Mary Barrett, Katherine's daughter died as a result of childbirth complications on January 19. Mary was just 26 and had only been married for two years to Lawrence Barrett. The child was named Mary after her mother, and at the age of 53, Katherine began raising her granddaughter.

The Filipek clan including Larry Barrett remained at 7328 S. Union for several years. In 1918 Jim Filipek volunteered for the army and went to France as part of the Army of Occupation returning in the summer of 1919. Then some time around 1920, Katherine, John and James all moved back to 3001 S. Emerald having traveled counterclockwise in a big circle since 1914.

What prompted these moves so quickly after James' death is unclear. The two boys had their own jobs by then and did not work at the store so it must have been necessary to bring someone else in to manage the store and perhaps that manager needed the upstairs to live. Eventually, the store was sold about 1921. It was a good run and provided a good employ to the Filipek family for many years.

1920s
In April 1920, son James Filipek married Grace Vanderkloot and he then moved to her parents flat at 7047 S. Ada and to continue to pursue his career as a lawyer.

Sometime around 1921, Katherine and son John moved to Riverside at 253 Olmstead, next door to Theodore Sokolik. Theodore's first wife, Lillian had died and he had married Louise and they had settled in Riverside. Katherine and John Filipek must have seen how nice it was in Riverside (peaceful and bucolic compared to the hustle of the city) and decided to sell the grocery store and move there also.

By 1925, John married Rose Skoblik and wanted his own place so he bought the Olmstead property from his mother and then bought her the 72 Burlington Road home where Katherine remained until her death.

Back to Bohemia
In 1929, Katherine, John and Rose Filipek and their two children Johnny and Rosemary, along with 13 year old Mary Barrett went on a trip to Europe. They visited Rome, the Vatican, Kolence and probably Mazelov. They sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey on June 8, 1929. It appears they were part of a church group, most likely from the Catholic parish in Riverside. It was on this trip, that Jeanne recalls that Katherine fell and hurt her hip. Afterward Katherine always needed a cane to walk. On her previous trip, Katherine left just before the war started, on this one she got back just before the stock market crash. My mom also thinks she may have taken other trips back.

Katherine's Death
Katherine died at the age of 84 on January 9, 1948 at the MacNeil Memorial Hospital in Berwyn, Illinois. At the end, she moved in with her son and daughter-in-law, John and Rose to be cared for. Katherine is buried in the Filipek Family Plot beside her husband, James and with her daughter Mary Barrett and her grandson John J. Filipek. There is presently room available in the Filipek family plot for least three more graves. Katherine's death was due to stomach cancer and at the end she suffered from myocardial degeneration and senility. There is no engraving on the marker for Katherine, and someday I hope to add it, but I want to verify the year first through original birth and baptismal certificates.

How Katherine survived all these years without a job is unknown. It is known that she did take in borders, such as Larry Barrett and I'm sure her sons helped out, but it does seem that she was both frugal and had a good sum of money from James' insurance and the eventual sale of the store.