Helen Pijacek

May 25, 1925 - November 5, 2020

Helen was born on May 25, 1925 and was baptized on June 5, 1925 at The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Dr. Martin Luther in Chicago.  Interestingly, she was baptized as Ellenka Palenik which is apparently Slovak for Helen.  She was also confirmed in that church.  After high school she worked in Accounts Receivable at Sears.  That reinforced her love for downtown Chicago.  She married Stephen Pijacek Jr. on March 18, 1944.  They had two daughters, Christine and Nancy.  In 1954 they moved from the South side of Chicago to Elmhurst and became members of Immanuel Lutheran there.  Christine and Nancy went to Sunday School and were both confirmed there.  It was hard for Steve and Helen to get involved in extra church activities since they both worked full time and Steve's job had crazy weekend hours. Helen's passions revolved around her home and family.  She loved cooking, baking, cross stitch, gardening and bird watching.  She always loved the outdoors throughout her life and her backyard gave her much pleasure in her later years.  One of her passions was to go on fishing vacations in Eagle River WI.  THey loved it so much they eventually bought a cottage there which the family still owns.  Helen's other passion was her beloved Chicago Cubs.  She never missed watching a game and heaven help you if you interrupted her! She adored children and loved spending time with her grand and great grand children.  They loved her playtime stories so much and always asked to go to Nana's.  We called her the baby whisperer! Dementia really took a toll on Helen's ability to be independent.  She always enjoyed excellent physical health, but the dementia was wearing her stamina down.  She was feisty to the end.  The nurses at the home told me frequently that Helen is definitely in charge.  She lived alone for 18 years after Steve's death and managed quite well until April of this year when she could no longer manage within her house.  When I visited her at the home she would always ask me to sing and she would sing along.  Her favorites were Jesus Loves Me, Take Me Out To The Ball Game and America the Beautiful.  In spite of the dementia she knew all the words.  She survived COVID quite well but succumbed to other complications.  She was beloved by so many, her family and neighbors.  We miss her already, very much.  Due to Covid-19 restrictions all services are private