Helga E Nagy

Helga Nagy, daughter of Hans and Selma Pierstorf, was born on February 14, 1937, in the small town of Qualitz in the Mecklenburg region of Germany. Her family later settled in Boitin Restdorf, where Helga spent what she always described as a “wonderful childhood” on the family farm, surrounded by fruit trees, vegetables, and open fields.

Born on St. Valentine’s Day, Helga embodied its spirit. She was one of the kindest and most generous people many of us will ever know, showering love on family, friends, and the many “adopted” families who became part of her life. Children, in particular, adored her—not only when they were small, but long after they were grown.

Helga was very close to her younger sister, Dorit Lugon (Dodi), born in 1940. They spent many happy hours together playing marbles and hopscotch, or swimming in the pond nearby. Helga enjoyed school, attending a one-room schoolhouse for her early years. The war years were difficult, with her father away in the military and Russian soldiers occasionally occupying the village, but life on the farm meant the family was never hungry.

At the age of 18, Helga left Germany and worked in the hotel industry. In her early twenties, Helga moved to New York City, where she began working as a housekeeper for the Rothman family. Though shy by nature, she soon formed a lively circle of friends and embraced city life with joy and curiosity. She married Ferenc Nagy and moved to Queens in 1965. They briefly lived in Munich before returning to New York City.

In the early 1980s, Helga began working for the Derman family, helping to raise their children, Joshua and Sonya. She loved the summers spent caring for them at the family’s Connecticut home and remained close to the family long after the children left for college—first as a housekeeper, and ultimately as a lifelong friend.

In 2002, Helga returned to the Rothman family in a new chapter, caring for Arianne and Gaby Siegel, grandchildren of her first employers. Over the next fifteen years, she became a steady and beloved presence in the Rothman-Siegel household. On the three days each week she was there, she brought calm, order, and joy—cooking countless crispy wiener schnitzels, setting fresh flowers on the table, and creating a sense of peaceful routine. She delighted in quiet evenings watching Rosemary and Thyme or Dancing with the Stars, and every time she arrived at the house, her first task was always the same: putting out birdseed for the birds.

Helga met life with grace and unwavering positivity. She rarely complained and was always ready to listen. She loved walking, flowers, and being outdoors, finding beauty everywhere. Even in her years at the nursing home, she would sometimes peer through a dusty window to admire the sunset. She sang as she worked, baked delectable Christmas cookies each year to give away in tin boxes, always dressing elegantly with her signature coiffed blonde curls and hat. The only things that truly frightened her were snakes and fast cars.

Helga lived at St. Alban’s Veterans’ Nursing Home in Jamaica, Queens, for the final six years of her life. She died on January 25, 2026. She is survived by her sister Dodi; Dodi’s children, Ralph, Nadia, and Yannick; and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She is missed by many more people. We will carry her love and laughter in our hearts forever.

A committal service will be held at Cypress Hills Cemetery, located at 833 Jamaica Ave, New York, NY 11208, United States. The service is scheduled for February 7, 2026, from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm.