Philly Councilwoman Krajewski to Be Laid to Rest

A former giant of Philadelphia politics will be laid to rest today.

Longtime City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski died a week ago. She was 79.

A viewing was held Tuesday night and mourners can again pay their respects from 8 to 9:30 a.m. today at Givnish Funeral home at 10975 Academy Road.

Krajewski will be buried at Interment Resurrection Cemetery following a 10 a.m. funeral mass at Christ the King Church on Chesterfield Road in the Northeast.

Krajewski, famous for her feistiness, gravely voice and willingness to speak her mind, served from 1980 until she retired last year.

Mayor Michael Nutter remembered Krajewski -- who represented the 6th district in Northeast Philly -- as "straightforward and honest, sometimes brutally so, lawmaker and friend.

"She was a person whose word you could really trust," Nutter said. "I very much admired her record of service to the City and in particular how she served her constituents in the 6th Council District who will miss her"

Council President Darrell Clarke remembered his former colleague.

“Joan was a great champion of Northeast Philadelphia,” Clarke said in a statement. “She was an unfailingly supportive colleague. And more importantly, she was my friend.

“Our friendship began well before I was elected to office. The unsung, lowly staffer did not exist in Joan’s world. She treated City Hall employees as equals. Joan took the time to get to know everyone she encountered here, no matter their position or station.

“But Joan also was tough as nails. She was one of the most effective Council members in recent memory. The skill with which she leveraged her office to deliver for constituents and for the 6th District was masterful.

“I hope what Philadelphians remember most about Joan is she was a genuinely caring, warm, good human being...”

Krajewski was ill recently, according to friends, and suffered from breathing problems.

She is survived by her three sons, five grandchildren, multiple nieces and nephews.

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