Helayne Roberta Dratch

Helayne (Bornstein) Dratch of Boynton Beach, Florida, formerly of Westwood, MA, Needham, MA and Dorchester, MA. Beloved wife of Nathan (deceased). Mother of Lisa Raffio, Lori Minsky (Gary), Elke Egbert (Bill), Douglas Dratch (Jill) and Dana Dratch (Esther). Sister to Herbert Bornstein (deceased), Ruth Glassman (deceased). Grandmother to 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. She was lovingly known as Gram and was so proud of all of them. Helayne was born on April 28, 1931 to Louis and Ethel Bornstein. Helayne was a product of the Great Depression and overcame much hardship during her childhood. After graduating from Boston Teacher’s College, Helayne went on to become a first grade teacher for the Boston Public Schools, she taught until 1963. After leaving Boston Public Schools, she turned her focus to bringing up her 5 children. In 1977, she joined her best friend Nathan, in the family business as a sales person. Helayne was very successful in business, in part because she had an incredible teacher (Nathan), she treated her customers like a mother, and because she was so driven. After retiring in 1999, Helayne and Nathan moved to Boynton Beach, Florida. Helayne was very active during her time in Boynton Beach. Almost every day would start at 6:00 AM, when she would leave the house for the gym to work out for 2 hours. EVERYONE at the gym knew Helayne and were so impressed with her commitment to fitness. In addition to the gym, she was a tennis player, bridge player and avid reader… and as Helayne would say many times, she was a tough old bird. Helayne will truly be missed by her 5 kids, 11 grandkids and 4 great-grandchildren. There were countless trips by every family member to Florida over the years. Every visit was full of love and pride. Gram loved every one of us and made sure to tell us how much she loved us every time we saw her. Services will be held at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 475 Washington Street, Canton, MA on Thursday, December 1st at 11:00 AM. Memorial observance will be held at the home of Lori Minsky immediately following internment. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the charity of your choice.