Submitted by: Dan Rich

Helen Margaret Gerecz

Nov. 8, 1923 - Nov. 27, 2008

South Bend Tribune 11/30/2008

GRANGER - Helen Margaret Gerecz, 85, died at 1:15 a.m. Thursday, November 27, in Memorial Hospital, following an illness. Mrs. Gerecz was born November 8, 1923, in Chicago, IL, to the late Frank and Margaret (Barna) Alk and had lived in South Bend since 1964 coming form Wilmette, IL. On July 14, 1945 in Chicago as Helen M. Alk she married Louis C. Gerecz who preceded her August 16, 2007. She was also preceded in death by a son, Louis C. Gerecz Jr. She is survived by a daughter, Linda L. (Roy IV) Leach of Amesbury, MA; and three grandchildren, Mandi Gerecz of Virginia Beach, VA, Heather Rich of New York City and Christopher Rich of Tempe, AZ. Helen Margaret Gerecz was born in Chicago, IL, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants. Helen passed away in Granger, In, on thanksgiving 2008. It is not the dates that she was born nor the date that she has passed away. It is the dash in the middle for which she will be remembered by her family and friends. I am writing this obituary as her daughter who remembers her as a warm and caring mother and a very creative artistic women. My mother combined the essence of a concerned involved parent with complete unconditional love. A homemaker by choice, Helen continued her artistic pursuits while she worked with her husband, Louis Charles Gerecz to create a loving and caring home for her family. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Helen's spirit lives on through her family living their lives in the ways that she modeled...namely with integrity, humor, strength, and love for family.