Helga H. Ashley

Helga Helena Ashley, of Ann Arbor, MI, passed away on January 11, 2018 at the age of 88. Helga, the only child of Otto Hanika and Geogika Porsche, was born on November 10, 1929 in Timosoara, Romania. She attended German schools until her education was interrupted by the upheaval of WWII. At 14 years old, when the Russians invaded Romania, she escaped to the family home in Innsbruck Austria. In 1955, Helga married Lewis Allen Ashley of Vanderbilt MI, then a Sargent in the US Army in Baumholder, Germany. She came with him to Michigan , becoming a US citizen in 1959. The couple had one daughter. Helga would eventually become fluent in 9 languages and it was this gift that landed her a job at the University of Michigan Dept. of Outpatient Psychiatry where she worked as a medical transcriptionist from 1963 until her retirement in 1996. Those who knew her will remember her for her wonderful sense of humor, her beauty, and her talents. She was a gifted watercolorist, classical pianist and guitarist. She is loved and missed by her daughter, Norah Lynn Cooper and her son-in-law David James Cooper of Canton, MI. Cremation has taken place. Please visit Helga’s website at www.muehligannarbor.com