Helen was born March 12, 1924 in New York, New York. Her parents immigrated to this country in 1920 from a city called Riga in Russia. Ella and Paul Segal raised Helen and her sister Sylvia in Houston, Texas. A straight A student it was no surprise she earned the Phi Beta Kappa key when she attended Rice University. Although there was no tuition for attending Rice, she earned spending money by tutoring members of the football team.
She met the love of her life, Earl Brown, in 1943 when he attended Rosh Hashanah services. It might have been divine intervention or her parents who invited him to dinner. Helen went to visit Earl in Midland in July, 1944 where they decided to cross state lines to marry in the middle of the night. Soon Earl would be shipped overseas to serve as a bombardier.
When Earl returned from the War they lived in Hollywood, FL where they raised their three children Glenda, Marilyn and Louis. Helen was always volunteering and staying active in the local synagogue. When the family moved to Houston, Texas in 1973 Helen decided to work as a bookkeeper. She loved this field and continued to work until she turned 82! She was incredibly professional in her endeavors and was a true example for her family of how to work hard.
We were all privileged to have “Ama” until the age of 96. She was feisty and managed to overcome double pneumonia in her early 90s. She overcame much more throughout her life. She always fought for women’s equality and served as an example of using her intellect for good, inspired others, and showed us the importance of family. She would often say, “Tie my hands, tie my feet and throw me amongst my own.” Our memories of “Ama” will serve as a guide of how to value the important things in life.
Helen was preceded in death by Earl and her daughter Glenda. She is remembered by her daughter Marilyn and her husband Mike, son Paul and his wife Ivanna, their children Sophia, Levi and Isaac and son Josh, his wife Staci and their daughter Charlotte. Her son, Louis, and daughter-in-law Renee and their children Michael and Jessica are so grateful for all the memories we have of our time together.
The family acknowledges with deep appreciation the wonderful staff at Brookdale in Sugar Land where she independently lived. We want to also thank the doctors, nurses and staff of the Memorial Hospital, Woodlands that provided extraordinary care and support to Ama and the family.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.
A private funeral service will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 with Facebook Live streaming
To access Facebook Live:
1) Log in to Facebook with your account
2) Go to Levy Funeral Directors Page on Facebook
3) At 3:00 p.m. The service will begin streaming (may be a moment delayed but nothing will be missed)
Please leave remembrances and messages of condolence for the family below.
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