Columbia- Helen C. Corbett, 92, passed away on Thursday, August 29, 2019. The rosary will be recited 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel with visitation to follow. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 4, 2019 at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Rev. Msgr. Richard D. Harris, officiating. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park with a reception following at the church.
Helen was born September 2, 1926 in Paterson, New Jersey to the late Walter and Victoria Zych, both from Poland. She grew up during the Depression in an ethnically and racially diverse neighborhood and learned life long lessons there that she passed on to all. When her youngest child was in the 3rd grade she went back to school at night to finish her college degree, becoming an elementary school teacher and eventually earning her Masters. Mrs. Corbett taught for almost 20 years, almost all in Paterson, and most of those years in the same Public School 10 that she attended. Mrs. Corbett retired in 1996 and moved to South Carolina in 2002 to be near her four children, who all re-located here, and her grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she is predeceased by her husband Bernard J. Corbett (1981), brother Stanley Zych (1942) sister Sally Getty (2003), and aunts and uncles who immigrated from Poland with her Mother just prior to WW I. Survivors include her four children, Bernard M. of West Columbia, Kathleen A. now of Charlotte (Melissa Corbett McArver -H- James - of Greenville), James J. (Jim) of Columbia (W-Allison, Sean P. Corbett Nottoli of Washington D.C., James "Sam" Corbett and Katherine Grace Corbett of Columbia) and Robert S. (Bob) of Rock Hill (W-Rose Mary, Joshua, Caroline and Jacob Corbett ), her 7 grandchildren, nephew Charlie Getty (W- Carol) of St. Louis and niece Vicki Getty of Nashville, Indiana, and cousin Richard Mis of Summerfield, Fla.
Mrs. Corbett loved poetry, often reciting memorized favorite poems up through the last weeks of her life, especially "The Psalm of Life" by Henry Longfellow.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Helen’s honor to St. Joseph's Catholic School, 3700 Devine St., Columbia S.C. 29205
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