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Helen was born in Detroit in 1936. She graduated from Mackenzie High School, in Detroit, in 1953, receiving a Regents
Alumni scholarship that paid tuition for 4 years. Helen graduated from the University of Michigan in 1957 with a BA. She received her MA
from the University of Michigan in 1963.
Before getting married, Helen moved in and out of the family home
from 1957-1963, living in various apts. Before marrying Bob in 1963, Helen
was a schoolteacher (like sisters-in-law Marge and Alisa), but did not
particularly enjoy it.
After marriage, the couple settled in Bradford, PA, a pleasant small town that sets records
for national lows during the winter from time to time. Helen devoted her
time to raising son Alan and daughter Kathy, while Bob worked as an
engineer.
Helen’s mother Hilja’s mental
and physical state after being mugged had declined to such a degree by around
1990 that Helen and Bob moved to Lantana to take care of her. At first they
rented out a nearby house. Hilja’s health continued to decline, however,
and she needed full-time care. Helen and Bob moved in to the Lantana home,
adding on a room in 1993. During this time Helen’s Finnish became quite
proficient. After Hilja died in 1996, Helen and Bob moved back to their Bradford
house and later to Troy, Michigan,
on the same street as their son Alan.
We are eagerly awaiting further
literary, photographic and genealogical contributions from Helen and her
children.
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