Ms. Haskamp died Sept. 19 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood. She was 90.

"Mom was like the leader of the U.N. (United Nations) when dealing with the ten of us," said her son, Gary Haskamp, "She had a knack for knowing what the right thing to do was and she instilled that in us."

She was born during the Depression, a small frail child. She survived serious illnesses and the loss of her husband and one child, while keeping her faith and a positive outlook.

Her son remembered when the family lived near railroad tracks in Crescent Springs. There was no running water available at that time, so Ms. Haskamp crossed the tracks each day, pumping water into buckets and carrying them home.

She asked city officials to build water pipes so the families on the other side of the tracks could have running water. And when she did not receive a satisfactory response, she contacted the newspaper.

The story ran on the front page, officials relented and the water pipes were built.

"She believed if there was injustice you should take steps to correct it," her son said. "When looking through her papers, I stumbled on her address book. She actually had the addresses for several United States presidents listed. I imagine she wrote to them about issues that were important to her."

Ms. Haskamp was a clerk for the Internal Revenue Service in Covington, and was formerly a city clerk for the city of Crescent Springs.

She was a charter member of St. Joseph Church in Crescent Springs, a member of the Benedictine Guild and the Happy Timers. She was the 2004 recipient of the Robert B. Noll award for volunteer services at St. Joseph Church.

Her husband, Eugene Haskamp, and one child previously had died.

Survivors include five sons, Eugene, Thomas, Richard, Gary and Paul ; four daughters, Mary Bishop, Noel Hoppenjans, Rose Hitch and Rita Stanton; one sister, Loretta Flick; 18 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Services were held Tuesday at St. Joseph Church in Crescent Springs. Burial in Mother of God Cemetery in Covington.

Memorials: American Heart Association, Ohio Valley Affiliate, P.O. Box 182039, Dept. 013, Columbus, OH 43218-2039

E-mail mlistermann@enquirer.com