EMILIA ROYCO Emilia (Milka) Royco's remarkable life embodied many of the epoch events of the 20th century. She was born of Slovak parents in Bosaca near Trencin in what was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She grew up in the new Republic of Czechoslovakia. She graduated from a business academy and went to work for the government as postmistress in the town of Lubina. There she met Emil Royco, a young American of Slovak descent visiting his family. As war clouds gathered, he asked her to marry him. In September 1938 they left Czechoslovakia for St. Louis, MO. There she learned English from scratch and became leader of Brownie and Girl Scout troops. She was so beloved by her girls (they called her "Sweetie") that they refused to disband the troop upon reaching the required age limit and received a special dispensation from Girl Scouts of America to keep the troop together for several more years. While in St. Louis she became locally renowned as a gourmet cook and hostess with a central European flair. Her smile was incandescent and she charmed everyone she met. The strongest epithet in her vocabulary was "phooey." In 1960 she and her husband Emil moved to Washington, D.C. They became cornerstones of a large, active and professionally prominent Czechoslovak community in the area. As such they played a crucial role in assisting refugees escaping Communist-ruled Czechoslovakia and helping them become situated in Washington. They also helped organize and establish the international Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU) as well as a number of annual social events including a Christmas bazaar and the Spring (Majales) Ball. She and Emil were wonderful dancers - something she attributed to her husband's "gypsy blood." Milka reestablished her reputation as a cook and hostess in Washington entertaining a long string of visitors from Europe including a young playwright named Vaclav Havel. Her Slovak recipes attracted the attention of the food editor of the Washington Post and were printed in the newspaper. One of her great passions was doing volunteer work at Georgetown University Hospital. It was a labor of love she continued uninterrupted for over 40 years. She was at the Hospital, on schedule as Emilia Ra always, the day before she died, In her own family she nursed a husband and a brother during long debilitating illnesses. In her later years she put away her dancing shoes and became an avid gardener and groundskeeper. She remained active and energetic. Between August and October of this year she accompanied her July 31, 1909 daughter and son-in-law on two trips to Maine (to an island) and a two-week visit back to her beloved Slovakia. That trip included visits with family in Bratislava, Trencin, Modra and the Tatras plus travel November 11, 200 through eastern and central Slovakia. She had a grand time and announced she was ready to make a return trip next year. She died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Bethesda on November 11 in her 96th year. "My long, good life She loved life; she lit up every room she entered; she will be desperately missed by her family and many, many friends.