Dolores Irene Helm

Dolores (Dee) Helm of Banning, California, passed away at home June 13, 2013. Dee was 84, a well-loved and well-respected member of the community. She is survived by her husband Bill Helm, son Kurt Helm and his wife Jean; daughter, Kristen Granich, her husband David, and their children Wendy Sims and Aaron Granich; sister and brother-in-law Glenda and Alvin Gurzi; brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Anne-Marie Hutchison; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Dee was a true Southern California girl, born and raised in Long Beach. She attended Woodbury University and received a degree in Interior Design and Architecture. Her marriage to Bill, in 1951, brought her from Belmont Shore to Orange County in 1959 where she parlayed her degree into two separate careers, the first one that of working in early childhood education where she taught and served as the administrator for local preschools. Her second career was as an Interior Designer, working in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and throughout Orange County.

As an Interior Designer, her work was widely recognized and she was lauded for her creative talents. The work she was most proud of, though, was the design work at Orangewood Children’s Foundation in Orange County.

Dee took being part of a community seriously, giving freely of both her time and her money to charitable organizations wherever she lived. After retirement in 1988, she and Bill moved to Banning. They travelled extensively throughout the world. She also shared her love of song as part of the Sun Lakes Choral Group. An equally large part of her life was her spiritual community, and she was an active member at the Beaumont Presbyterian Church.

She touched hearts.