Helen was born in Lake Louise Alberta, on an afternoon when the train to Banff was late. Her mother Nellie couldn’t wait and gave birth to Helen in the quiet of the train station luggage room. Helen’s father John tended the station grounds during the summer months and Nellie ran the farm in his absence.
For the first years of life Helen lived on the farm in Renwer, Manitoba. At the age of nine, after years of struggle, the family left the farm and moved to Calgary where they purchased a new home. At this time, Helen spoke only Ukrainian, so overnight, her parents decided they would only speak English at home so Helen could attend school. That she did with success, graduating high school with an emphasis on business training that led to her early work years with Calgary based Mobil Oil.
She enjoyed and became extremely proficient at two sports throughout her adult life: golf, which she took up with her brothers Leonard and Mervin, and skiing. She became a teaching professional with a Level III standing in skiing and taught in Banff, Alberta, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Blue Mountain Collingwood, Ontario and Timberline, Mt. Hood, Oregon.
Through her love of skiing, she met her husband-to-be Lorne in 1961 when they both attended a ski course held by the Canadian Ski Alliance at Sunshine Village in Banff. They married in Calgary on May 4, 1963. They continued working and teaching at ski resorts in Ontario and Quebec until the fall of 1965 when they moved to Mt. Hood, Oregon, where their son Ryan Geoffrey was born. In the summer of 1967, the family returned to British Columbia and chose Richmond to settle and raise their children. Daughter Mallory Jane was born in Vancouver.
Helen was much appreciated by those who knew her for her artistic talents as an oil painter; she attended Vancouver College of Art, now Emily Carr University of Art + Design. As a mother, grammy and spiritual medium, she gathered people around her who loved her warmth, laughter, and cherished her friendship. Her passion for golf led her to become a member of the Mylora Golf Ladies Program where she spent many happy days with friends in pursuit of the game she loved. Her achievement of a hole in one at the age of 83 was a triumph she relished.
Helen passed her last days at home in Richmond’s Apple Greene Park where she could see the first snow on the mountains of the North Shore peeking through the maple trees outside her window. She was surrounded by her art, her family and love.
Helen leaves behind husband Lorne, children Ryan (Rachel Welch O’Connor) and Mallory (Colin Weston); six grandchildren: Liam, Ruadhan, Fionnuala Lucille and Isla O’Connor; Stella and Clive (deceased) Weston; and her brothers Leonard (Lynne) and Mervin (Karen). Helen was predeceased by her father John Hayduk, mother Anastasia (Nellie) and step-father Al Marouse; mother-in-law Lucy O’Connor; sisters-in-law Julia Saunders (Edward), Doreen Irwin (Jim) and brother-in-law Brian O’Connor (Joan).
Also grieving Helen’s passing are nieces and nephews Sharon Radymski, Ian Saunders, Jeanne Sommerfield, Collin Field, Kathy Irwin, Jim Irwin, Karey Irwin, Crystal Mayfield, Natasha Balmer, Lindsay Davies, their spouses and children; in-law families of the Westons (Grant and Barbara (deceased) of Brampton, Ontario) and the Welches (David and Christine of Ottawa, Ontario). Lifelong friends the Stubsons, Andrews, Millers and Pikes are very much appreciated in this time of need.
A Celebration of Life will be held with the Rev. Andrew Pike, family and close friends and will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Richmond Hospital Foundation.