Helen Dorothy Schulhauser Zamets

“Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Helen Dorothy Zamets, it summarized in every way who she was. She was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around her and always thinking before acting. She was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything she did. She was a friendly person who truly cared about those around her.

She was the daughter of Charles and Mary (Pankratz) Schulhauser. Raised in Kellogg, Idaho, she was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy. As a child, she learned to be conscientious, responsible and punctual. These were all traits that she would carry with her throughout her life.

As a young girl, Helen was always aware of how others around her felt and this quality served her well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, Helen was generally able to avoid conflicts. It seemed as if Helen was the family member who was always working to keep stress at bay. Preferring a quiet environment where she could concentrate, Helen also had the ability to relate well with her family and friends. Helen was raised with six siblings. She had two brothers, Walter and Ed; and four sisters, Trudy, Teresa, Margo and Rita. Helen was constantly involved in activities with her family. Helen and her siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up but they deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.

Helen enjoyed learning. She always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Helen was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. She often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Helen was painstaking and accurate in her efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. Her favorite class in high school was English.

Love can’t be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Helen. On December 15, 1945 Helen married Albert John Zamets at St. Rita's Catholic Church. They had a double wedding with best friends Elsie Absec and Peter Rinaldi, Jr. of Kellogg, Idaho. She was totally committed to Albert and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Helen naturally sensed her spouse’s needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Helen disliked conflict, she did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

Helen was a good mother to her children. She had “old fashioned” parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner. Because she trusted emotions, Helen was reluctant to force issues and used gentle persuasion to resolve situations. In this way she seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and caring to those around her, always thinking before acting. In addition, Helen was a master planner. No matter how hectic life around her might be, she seemed to know and track everyone’s schedule. Helen was blessed with four children, four sons, Stephen, Michael, Thomas and Gregory. They were also blessed with seven grandchildren, Katrina, Stephanie, Jason, Christopher, Katie, Elizabeth and Christina.

If you gave Helen a deadline, she would meet it. At work, Helen was always on task. Without hesitation, Helen could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. Her primary occupation was homemaker. After high school, Helen moved to Seattle, Washington and worked as a clerk in a grocery store. During that time, Helen excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. She was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Helen was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Helen had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. She was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

Helen liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Helen's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Helen preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were reading, bingo, bowling, painting, bunco and playing keno machines at the casinos. Helen was content to sit quietly alone, enjoying her hobbies all by herself and could often be found just reading about her favorite pastimes.

While thorough and measured in her approach to things, Helen often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. She was like that with sports. Recreational sports included bowling. She also enjoyed the statistical data and the facts behind the sports. In this way, she was something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite teams whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were Dodgers Baseball.

Due to her excellent organizational skills, Helen was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which she belonged. Helen could bring established, successful methods to the discussion table, along with a generous helping of common sense. Helen was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details. Throughout her later years, Helen was an active member of the USO and the NCO Wives Club.

Helen was active in the community. She was practical and grounded and based her decisions on first hand experience. She was responsible and liked working to achieve results rather than just chattering about possibilities. Helen was a member of several community groups, serving on committees. Politically, Helen was part of the Community League of Women Voters.

An individual who respected and maintained traditional values, her faith was important to Helen. Her compassion, consideration and sympathy toward others was evident in her personal beliefs. She was a member of St. Christopher's Catholic Church in Moreno Valley for over 20 years.

Anyone who traveled or went on vacation with Helen had smooth sailing. It was often taken for granted that she was the trip planner. She would start early and examine all of the possibilities, selecting the best and most effective options. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas.

Helen had Taffy, a Golden Retriever Mix, who was her best friend for 12 years. Helen was as loyal to her pets as they were to her.

Helen passed away on January 18, 2011 at Kaiser Hospital in Fontana, California. Helen died from natural causes. She is survived by four sons; 7 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; and one brother. Services were held at 2:01 PM on Monday, January 21, 2011 at Riverside National Cemetery 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, CA 92518. Helen was laid to rest in Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA.

It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Helen was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Helen was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of woman to whom everyone was drawn. She was thorough and practical. Helen Zamets was very literal with her words. You always knew where you stood with Helen. She will be missed.

Arrangements under the direction of Weaver Mortuary, Beaumont, CA.