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2017 Times Leader Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year: Holy Redeemer senior Lindsey Williams

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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; It had been years since Florence Tomko did any crocheting, but when a nurse at Tiffany Court at Kingston suggested the 87-year-old resident might enjoy some needlework, Tomko picked up a crochet hook and started making little hats.</p><p>&#8220;I can make one a day,&#8221; Tomko said, sitting by a table filled with 70 caps &#8212; some small enough for a baby, some for an older child.</p><p>Tomko has a soft spot for children in need, and wants to send this first batch of hats to the Janet Weis Children&#8217;s Hospital in Danville, where they can provide soft, colorful comfort to young patients.</p><p>&#8220;They should get there before the holiday (to be holiday gifts),&#8221; activities aide Jennifer Deats said, &#8220;but if they don&#8217;t, it will just be a donation.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I think she&#8217;s terrific,&#8221; Deats said of Tomko. &#8220;She&#8217;s really on top of things.&#8221;</p><p>Tomko grew up in Nanticoke and attended Nanticoke High School before enrolling in the Bradford Academy to learn about hair styling.</p><p>&#8220;We sure learned a lot of things,&#8221; she said, talking about preparing hair dyes and charging customers $1 for a perm that involved wrapping locks of a woman&#8217;s hair around rods that were attached to long wires dangling from a hood.</p><p>The &#8220;permanent wave machine&#8221; used electricity to heat the hair, and &#8220;we would time it for about three minutes,&#8221; said Tomko, who recalls she was paid $20 for a 40-hour week.</p><p>&#8220;There were no tips either,&#8221; she said. &#8220;How could you expect a tip from a lady that came in carrying a dollar?&#8221;</p><p>Tomko only had that job for about two years, but she later worked as a sewing machine operator and as a waitress at weddings. She smiles as she remembers how her husband, Ed, and she liked to dance the polka together; the smile fades as she recalls losing him when he was 55.</p><p>&#8220;He had black lung,&#8221; she said referring to an affliction common to coal miners.</p><p>Tomko has two daughters, Sandra and Debra; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and she has some Christmas presents ready for the little ones: pajamas.</p><p>No, of course she didn&#8217;t crochet the sleepwear, she said, laughing at the suggestion.</p><p>&#8220;I bought them.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"> Tiffany Court at Kingston resident Florence Tomko, 87, has crocheted 70 hats &#8212; so far &#8212; that she intends to donate to young patients at the Janet Weis Children&#8217;s Hospital in Danville. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_TTL122117elderlyknitter1.jpg</photo0><caption0> Tiffany Court at Kingston resident Florence Tomko, 87, has crocheted 70 hats &#8212; so far &#8212; that she intends to donate to young patients at the Janet Weis Children&#8217;s Hospital in Danville. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_TTL122117elderlyknitter2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Florence Tomko, 87, a resident of Tiffany Court at Kingston, smiles as she talks about her younger years in Nanticoke. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_TTL122117elderlyknitter2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Florence Tomko, 87, a resident of Tiffany Court at Kingston, smiles as she talks about her younger years in Nanticoke. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_TTL122117elderlyknitter3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Florence Tomko, 87, crochets baby hats in the lounge area of Tiffany Court at Kingston. She is looking forward to her 88th birthday in January. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_TTL122117elderlyknitter3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Florence Tomko, 87, crochets baby hats in the lounge area of Tiffany Court at Kingston. She is looking forward to her 88th birthday in January. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Tiffany Court resident wants handcrafted hats to benefit child patients</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>