Jolena Bartesko

March 31/39 Princeton; September 18/25 Surrey

Treasured mother, grandmother, sister, wife, friend, Helen is survived in Australia by her son, Donald Wayne and cherished grandsons Fionn Robert Donald and Tobias Kenneth Lee; in B.C. by sisters Annie and Linda; brothers Joe, Tony and Nick; sister and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents, husband Donald Lee, sister Mary Charlton and brothers Pero and Tomo.

Helen was born March 31, 1939, in Princeton, B.C. to Katerina (Kuterovac) and Josip Cindrić, in a dirt-floor squatter's shack on the Similkameen River. Her father attended the home birth. From there, the family moved to a home which her parents built on the same river; but mines closed and when Helen was four years old, her parents and their five children located to their previously bought Surrey farm of coal oil lamps, outdoor toilet and a hand-pumped water well. Like all her brothers and sisters, she worked on the farm. She drove a tractor before she ever drove a car.

School years were at David Brankin Elementary and Queen Elizabeth High School. At QE she enjoyed team sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer, track & field. At graduation, she alone received special Provincial commendation on the formal grad dress she sewed.

She worked for Crown Zellerbach and MacMillan Bloedel, demonstrating and modelling the new-age card system computers. In her B.C. working years, she enjoyed downhill and water skiing.

She met her husband Don while bowling. They married on September 1,1962 with family reception at the Cindrich farm. She and Don were planning on moving to Alberta and her saved wedding funds were put towards farm equipment. Their son Wayne arrived in 1965, and they lived briefly in Surrey before moving to Alberta.

In Alberta, Helen was employed by the Dept. Of Agriculture in Red Deer. Her sewing skills were shared in TV broadcasts to farm wives. Their Rimbey farm was sold in 1986 and she and Don moved to Victoria. In Victoria, she worked for the Saanich Agricultural Society and Butchart Gardens.

She never forgot her ethnic roots, nor her first language which she delighted in using when travelling with her mother to Croatia.

She was an accomplished floral artist and single thread counted cross-stitch artisan. She gloried

in searching for treasures at yard sales, loved photography and the yearly get-togethers with her mom and sisters. Her hands were never still. Even in her latter days, she was always knitting scarves.

Helen faced health challenges. Neka počiva u miru.....May she rest in peace.

Celebration of Life, Wednesday, October 15 at 1:00p.m. at Hendersons Langley Funeral Home

Inurnment Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, BC - Thursday 16 October – 11:30a.m.

Tributes in her memory, donations to the Cindrich Elementary School Library.

Condolences can be sent to: [email protected]