Helen Babula, family matriarch, was born in Stamford, Conn. on December 15, 1916 to Anatazy and Adela Grocka Zajkowski and passed away on January 14, 2015.
At the age of two her family returned to Poland where Helen was educated through her teens. In 1936 her parents sent Helen and her eldest brother, Ziggy, back to America fearful of the borders closing due to future war. The two teenagers, eighteen and twenty years old, settled in N.J. for a few years with an uncle and his family of four children. As time passed, Helen moved to Stamford, Conn. where she met her beloved husband, Stanley Babula.
They were married in 1939 at Holy Name Church in Stamford and enjoyed sixty-one years of marriage before his death in 2000. They were active parishioners in the church and the Pol-Am Club. After raising two daughters, Helen worked at Gimbels as a sales associate for eighteen years until retirement in 1977. In 1985 they moved to Peachtree City, Ga. to be closer to family and enjoy a warmer climate. There they made new friends and were active in the Pioneer Club and Holy Trinity Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Ziggy and Al Zajkowski, and her husband.
Survivors include a brother, Bernie Zajkowski of Newark, N.J., daughters, Jan Bennett of Muscle Shoals, Ala., Ceil Breitwieser of Dallas, Texas, grandchildren, Allison Kassels of Muscle Shoals, Ala., Charles Bennett of Atlanta, Ga., Adrienne Foley of Petal, Miss., Andrea Cain, Thomasville, N,C., Steven Breitwieser of Monticello, Ill., and Cheryl Fatta of Little Elm, Texas, great-grandchildren Alexandra, Mathew and Michael Kassels, Stanley Bennett, William and Anna Foley, Joseph and Amelia Cain, Greysen, Charlotte and Hudson Breitwieser, Michael and Jason Fatta and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 20 at 10 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church, Peachtree City. Interment will take place at St John’s Cemetery in Stamford, Conn. to unite Helen with her beloved husband, Stanley.
Thanks to all the caregivers from Home Instead who have helped Helen continue to live her life to the fullest. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions can be made to Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, P.O. Box 96486, Washington, DC 20077-7424 or to a charity of your choice.
Carl J. Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Peachtree City – www.mowellfuneralhome.com.
