Helen Martinez Guerra

1923 and passed away on October 20, 2022 at the young age of 99.

She is survived by three sons Rudy Anthony and his wife Maria, Michael James and his wife

Maryfrances and Christopher Dennis and his wife Debbie.

She leaves eight grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.

Helen loved learning and reading. She enjoyed reading novels and was well informed through

publications. She regarded education highly and often said it was the key to success. Her early

years in Dinuba's agricultural industry drove that message home. Early on in Dinuba high

school she was a majorette and would often talk about how she marched in front of the high

school band twirling her baton. It was clearly an early illustration of her trait of being outgoing.

Her early working career began in the Dinuba agricultural industry working in the fields and

packing houses and later working as a secretary in the offices. She was later employed at her

Alma Maitre Dinuba high school as a secretary to the principal and later moved on to work at the

Dinuba Sentinel newspaper. Because of her skill level and work ethic she was highly sought by

and later employed by a local trucking and dismantling company. There she had a career of 45

years of employment where she handled day-to-day operations and traveled often to handle

difficult vehicle registrations.

Maria Elena was known as Helen throughout her life and she met her husband Rudy in the

summer of 1944. When she met Rudy, he was in his Army Air Corps uniform on leave with two

others in downtown Fresno California. He always said when he saw her that he spotted her first

and rushed to her to make a charming introduction by removing her packages from her arms.

Helen didn't see him until he grabbed several packages from her arms as she emerged from a

department store shopping with her sisters.

Her first inclination was to yell for a police officer. He looked dashing in his uniform with

campaign ribbons from his service in China Burma India serving four years overseas. Later in

the day Helen's older sister Lupe loaned him her car, to a total stranger, mind you, to take Helen

to dinner. Her sister had judged him with a critical eye and determined she would be in safe

company. Rudy would put a pat a butter in his coffee to impress upon her he had refined taste

and like fine things. Time passed and in a February Valentine's Day card typed by Helen, she

boldly displayed it was time to get married. Shortly after several weeks passed according to her

younger sister Lily, she wrote in lipstick on the bedroom mirror they shared "Gone off to get

married see you soon". They were united on April 7, 1945. They lived in Van Nuys, California

in a single bedroom cottage in the early years until Rudy was discharged from March Field on

October 28, 1945. Rudy and Helen made Dinuba their home for 60 years before migrating to

Clovis California and celebrated 69 years together with Rudy's passing Januaryl6, 2014.

She was strong in her faith and loyal to family. She loved living in Dinuba until migrating to a

gated community in Clovis to be closer to their medical needs. Her vanity license plate on her

cream colored Cadillac Seville proudly displayed "Dinuban".

She loved baking, entertaining, making a gourmet meal and dancing with Rudy, but then who

didn't. Big Band music was their favorite to dance to with shared libation. She enjoyed good

food and friends and she loved fashion. She was a classy dresser always dressed to the nines

with her make up made up perfectly. She was seldom without 'whipstick" as my brother

Anthony would say. She wore a fragrance exclusive to her and many recognized that trademark

scent. She was beautiful. She always wore a smile and was never without comment when being

engaged or having new introductions made.

She enjoyed cooking her gourmet meals and when served they were impeccable on par with a

meal fit for a queen. Yes, Champagne was her drink of choice. Her recipes were to die for and

who could forget her homemade tortillas. And in our early childhood we got to know Emily Post

very well with how to set tableware, glasses and plates. Not to mention proper eating use of

utensils and their placement during meals.

She was active in the church with St Catherine's Altar Society and loved planning the annual

dinner dance event which gathered the Dinuba community together. It was an event the

community look forward to attend with a great music band orchestras and delicious food. People

traveled to this event from nearby towns. During Dinuba's Raisin Day celebration she would

work with the Guadalupe Society in the park making tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans with a

never-ending line of patrons. This event would stuff the church coffers.

After her retirement and move to Clovis she often did her volunteerism at St Agnes Hospital

helping disadvantage people work through the language barrier and then on to The Discovery

Shop where she worked enjoying displaying the donated materials and arranging clothes for sale

to help raise funds for the fight against cancer.

She looked forward to bingo and loved winning, more so, when the lights would flash jackpot

winner, her eyes full of glee and shout out a cheer "OH BOY I WON!". She was always giving

advice in a loving manner, expressing her wisdom and experience to her children, grandchildren

and in the end her great grandchildren in her [mal days.

She was loved by all and will be missed and every day we will see a flash of color, hear a tune,

smell a fragrance, or taste a food or drink and fondly think of her and savor her memory.

Memorial services will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic church at 10 AM on November 18,2022 in Fresno California and burial at Smith Mountain Cemetery in Dinuba immediately following the Catholic mass.

Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the Guerra family.