Emma (Masle) Hart

LITTLE FALLS – A life well lived came to a peaceful end on January 25, 2025, with the passing of Mrs. Emma (Masle) Hart. She was 103 years old and a lifelong resident of Little Falls.

Emma was born on July 9,1921 to Slovenian immigrant parents Lawrence Masle and Johanna (Skof) Masle. She was reared on the Southside in her beloved Zebrasha with her three sisters and their precious younger brother. Their Danube Street home would become the center of family life, hosting countless gatherings and card games. Later it became the place where the next two generations of the Masle family tree would celebrate holidays and other special occasions.

After high school, she was employed in one of the city’s mills. She enjoyed an active social life and loved to dance, especially the polka. In 1947, Emma married the love of her life, Charles Hart, a member of The Greatest Generation. The blessed union lasted until Charlie’s passing in 2006. Together they built one of the first homes on Top Notch Road where they raised their three children. Emma was a stay-at-home mother who created a happy, loving, and welcoming environment. She enjoyed gardening, and was a talented baker known for her cakes, pies, and most of all, her chocolate chip cookies. Holidays were not complete without her potica. Her summers were spent with her extended family at Pine Lake sharing priceless stories around campfires and playing enthusiastic games of pitch. Throughout her life, Emma remained a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, always putting the needs of her loved ones before her own.

Emma enjoyed good health and lived independently well into her 90’s, attacking jig saw puzzles with tenacity and rooting for Syracuse basketball teams. After transitioning to nursing care, she remained spirited or as her care givers affectionately referred to it ‘feisty’. She loved watching birds at the feeder outside her window, competitive games of bingo, and supplementing her diet with chocolates. A heartfelt thank you to the staff at Alpine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for their care of Emma in the last few years of her life.

Emma’s life spanned a little over 40% of our nation’s history. Born in the Roaring 20’s, she came of age during The Great Depression, married a World War II veteran, guided three Baby Boomers through the Cold War and into the Space Age. She got to embrace grandchildren and great grandchildren and celebrated reaching the century mark with covid masks and social distancing. It was an amazing life.

Emma is survived by her children Robert (Donna) Hart of Romulus NY, Charles (Karen) Hart of Marion NY, JoAnn Hart Burchell of Little Falls, her grandchildren Jennifer, Matthew, Caitlyn, Taylor, and Carly, her step grandchildren Erin (Burchell) McCauliffe and Eric Burchell, her great grandchildren Daniel and Lucas Allen, Ella and Camden Bishop, Charles, Leo, and William Hank, her step great grandchildren Lily and Colby McCauliffe, and Jack Burchell, her sister-in-law Natalie Masle, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Emma was predeceased by her husband Charles, her grandson Charles L. Hart Jr., her son-in-law Fred Burchell, her sisters Helen, Elsie, and Dorothy and her brother Clarence.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend a calling hour for Emma on Friday, May 9, 2025, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Enea Family Funeral Home, 24 West Monroe St. Little Falls, NY. Emma's funeral service will commence at 11:00 am at the funeral home, immediately upon the conclusion of visitation. Procession will follow to St. Mary's Cemetery where Emma's earthly remains will be laid to rest.

Donations in Emma’s memory may be made to the American Heart Association or to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

This beautiful obituary tribute prepared by her loving family has been offered online at www.eneafamily.com , and all arrangements have been entrusted to The Enea, Ciaccia, & Applegate Funeral Directors, Enea Family Funeral Home, 24 West Monroe Street in Little Falls, New York. (315) 823-2424.