Helen R. Mehltretter

Helen (Romanyshyn) Mehltretter was born on September 13th, 1923 and sadly passed away on March 12th 2021. She was 97 years old. Helen was the third child of Michael and Kathyrn Romanyshyn, Ukrainian immigrants making a new life in Yonkers, NY. She was preceded in death by her parents, older sister Rose Holutiak, older brother John Romanyshyn, and loving husband John “Jack” Mehltretter.

After high school Helen attended the Katharine Gibbs School and made friends with Joan Mehltretter, Jack’s sister. Joan set Helen and Jack up for at dance and they hit it off right away. But Jack, ever sensible, wanted to make sure Helen was really serious, because travel from Bayonne, NJ to Yonkers, NY was both time consuming and expensive! Jack was soon reassured, and they married in 1945 in a beautiful ceremony at Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Yonkers.

After marriage Jack worked towards his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management, with Helen typing his thesis. They made a life together and welcomed five children into the world, James, John Jr. (Johnny), Mark, Lori, and Peter. They settled into a beautiful home in North Plainfield, NJ where they lived in until moving to Florida in 1998.

As the children grew older, Helen’s mother, Kathryn, came to stay and lived many years in their loving home. Jack once told Kathryn he liked her dinner so much he could eat it for breakfast. Wanting to “call his bluff” Kathryn woke up early, warmed it up, and served Jack his breakfast and Jack gladly ate it! Helen had a great sense of humor and really loved to tell this story.

With five children in or getting ready for college, Helen began working at Sears Roebuck to make extra money. She worked in the customer service department reviewing and approving credit applications. For security reasons employees were required to provide only their initials when working with the public. With a smile and a laugh, she would tell customers her initials were “H.M. - like Hot Mama!” She worked there for 25 years.

There are so many stories that reveal Helen’s love for her family and sense of fun. Helen’s grandson, Matthew, recalls: “When my brother, Neil, and I were little, we would often spend the night at Grandma Helen and Papa Jack’s house. Grandma would always take my socks off and say, “phew stinky feet”, before my bath and we’d laugh and laugh. Helen was the kind of person who always knew when you needed an extra boost or hug. In fact, I’d cry every time we had to go back to Florida or they’d go back to New Jersey after visiting with us. To make me feel better, Grandma Helen would slip me some money and say, “Don’t cry”. It became a running joke that my brother and I would “cry” so Grandma would give us money!”

Helen is survived by her five children and their spouses: James and Sara Mehltretter, John and Judy Mehltretter, Mark and Diane Mehltretter, Lori and Carl “Buck” Frazell, and Peter Mehltretter and Alantha Carter; twelve grandchildren: Matthew Mehltretter (Carrie), Neil Mehltretter (Andria), Gordon Mehltretter, Corey Mehltretter, Jolene Mehltretter, Jamie Graff (Seth), Ryan Mehltretter, Adam Mehltretter, Andrew Frazell, Ashley Frazell, David Mehltretter and Lane Mehltretter; and nine great grandchildren: Elle, Spencer, Duncan, Luna, Kyle, Alexis plus one girl and two boys.

Helen, Mom, Grandma and GG—your love for and dedication to your family was inspiring. You raised five children and helped put them through college; you welcomed their spouses and lived to see twelve grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. You made us all better people with your love and support and gave us wonderful memories full of love and laughter. You will be greatly missed.