Helena Caycedo Bretherton

Helena was born on April 30, 1934, in Bogotá, Colombia to the late Alfonso and Magdalena Caycedo. She graduated with an S.A. Degree from the School of Architecture Delineation in Bogotá, and later a certificate from the New York School of Interior Design.

Helena immigrated to the United States in 1961 and became a US citizen in 1968. She began her career at Gene G. Miele Architect, and then with Copeland, Novak & Israel, where she met her future husband, George C. Bretherton Jr. Helena and George married in 1965 and together built a loving family, sharing 43 years of marriage until George’s passing in 2008.

Helena is survived by her three children, Helena Bretherton Hay and her husband Benjamin Hay of Atlanta, GA; George C. Bretherton III and his wife Nora Diaz Bretherton of New York City; and Christine Torrento and her husband Justin Torrento, and her grandchildren, Dylan Torrento and Rue Torrento of Westwood, NJ.

Helena was one of six siblings. She is survived by her sister, Olga Bayard, and is predeceased by her siblings Teresa Caycedo, Magdalena Gamboa, Leonore Buitrago, and Alfonso Caycedo.

Helena was proud to be one of the few women in the field of architecture at the time, breaking into a male-dominated industry with determination and focus. She also served as an EMT for the Harrington Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps for twenty years, where she received a plaque honoring a Lifetime Recognition of Service.

Helena was loving, funny, supportive, proud, elegant, and fiercely independent to her last day. Her presence will be deeply missed by her family and by all who knew and loved her.

Family and friends may pay their respects on Saturday, June 20, 2026 from 1-5 p.m. at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ 07675.