Helen Gertrude Onofrio

to Florencio and Natividad (Dominguez) Mondragon in the small village of El Cenicero, outside of Antonito, Colorado. She was born at home with her mother, grandmother, and midwife - Aunt Rose. Later, her Aunt Rose had to travel to Denver to testify as to her birth to obtain her birth certificate. She spent her childhood in Antonito and Alamosa with her siblings: Patricia, Fadelina, Joseph, Gloria, Consuelo, Clorinda, and Junior. She attended elementary school in Alamosa where she learned to speak English.

In 1942 her family relocated to Denver, CO. She attended Lake Junior High and West High School. She spent her youth playing on the south side of the city dump. She later found out that her future husband, Chuck, played on the north side of the same dump. They met many years later while both working at the State Highway Department. Chuck took her on their first date to a dinner dance at the Westminster Law School. She married Charles John Onofrio at Mount Carmel Church at the 11 am Mass on June 8th, 1952. Soon after, St. Rose of Lima Church – the little church with the big heart - became their parish. It was there that their eleven children were baptized and received all their sacraments. During the 70 years Helen and Chuck attended St.Rose of Lima, she was a member of the Altar and Rosary Society, RCIA, choir, and served as a lector and Eucharistic Minister. She was also a member of the Archdiocese of Denver Choral. She and Chuck spent many years delivering communion to the church members who were unable to attend Mass. She also worked for four years as the Pastoral Assistant for the church.

Helen’s passion for her faith and education led her to take the position of 5th and 6th grade Language Arts and Religion teacher at St. Rose Catholic School beginning in 1975. After teaching, she decided that she could manage working, being a mother, and a wife, so she took a position as a Health Food Clerk and then a Pharmacy Technician at Skaggs. In 1979, she began her career as a clerk with Mountain Bell, where she worked until she took an early retirement in 1986. She returned to her passion for service and education and used her bilingual skills as a Bilingual Paraprofessional at Goldrick Elementary and Colfax Elementary Schools. She then went on to work as a secretary at the Archdiocese of Denver and at St. Thomas Seminary, where she worked alongside Samuel Aquila, now Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver. While working in these positions, she managed her family and also attended the Denver Biblical College receiving a certificate in Biblical Studies. She also worked as a Mary Kay consultant, selling beauty products in people’s homes.

Throughout the 64 years with the love of her life, they spent much of their time traveling across the world. Their travels took them to Europe, Asia, and South America. They traveled many times to Italy, where they visited Chuck’s family. While in Europe, they also traveled to Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and France. They took the trip of a lifetime and visited Israel and the Holy Land. They went on cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico. Later, they traveled to Cartagena, Colombia and have also traveled to Canada.

Raising ten children brought the need to learn to sew and Helen made clothes for all her children. She was an expert seamstress and made some of the most beautiful clothes. Helen was a very creative person and had a love for making unique items that she gave as gifts and sold at local craft stores and fairs. She would collect items from thrift stores to create one of a kind footstools. She prided herself in creating her personal greeting cards, which she not only sold, but sent to everyone. She always remembered her family and friend’s birthdays and every year sent a personalized, handmade card. She made cards on her computer, as well as from recycled materials such as Kleenex boxes. She enjoyed making figures and art from Sculpey clay. Every item was unique and made with love and care. She began making earrings from clay and then took to crocheting earrings and necklaces from ladder yarn. As she lost her eyesight due to macular degeneration, she was able to continue making this jewelry. This was one thing that brought her much joy.

Helen had such a huge devotion to her family and planned monthly family parties to celebrate everyone's birthdays. She was the glue that has kept her family strong and connected. She learned from her mom to pray, pray, pray, be kind to everyone, laugh and don’t take life too seriously. Helen lived a life of devotion to her Lord and Savior, a life of joy and laughter. She passed that on to everyone around her. Her smile was contagious. Those who knew her loved her and she loved everyone she knew.

One of her greatest memories was in 1989 when she had the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa. She and her sister were asked to prepare a prayer altar for the Blessed Mother. She took a rug from her home, an altar cloth, a vase with a single rose and carefully prepared the altar and waited for Mother Teresa. After Mother Teresa knelt in prayer, she blessed the two of them and gave each a big hug. Helen received her autograph, which she framed alongside the rose and hung proudly in her living room for all to see. The rug which Mother Teresa knelt on to pray has been donated to St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

She created life in eleven babies and it wasn’t until after Angie, Bernadette, and Chuck were born that a friend noticed that they were named in alphabetical order. Dino (deceased 10/28/15), Eugene, Francine, Gregory, Helen Marie (stillborn), Ilene, Julie, and Kristie came to follow, creating the Onofrio family alphabet. She shared that her life’s greatest disappointment was the stillborn death of her eighth child, Helen Marie, after carrying her for 9 months in her womb. “God took her from us just before she was born. She is in heaven looking down on all her wonderful family.” The Onofrio family has grown to welcome spouses, Mick (deceased 4/16/21), Jack, Rachel, Lori, Lori, Carol, Paul, Don and Larry. Beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren followed: Preston, Tess (Jeffrey), Katie, Marissa (Sharif), Derek (Sarah, children Catie and Hannah), Lars, Taylor (Tony), Jordan (Ralph, children Savannah, Sydney and Kyler), Bailey (Alex), Gregory, Andrew, Danielle (Mark, children Harrison, Hudson and Mark), Chad, Victoria, Ryan, Haoyang, Zach, Garrett, Alex, Matthew, Mariah (children Avery and Hadley), and Haley.

Helen has shared this important lesson to all her children and grandchildren, “It takes much love and effort to raise a good family. Good families don’t ‘just happen’. Good families form a good world.” She also shared that when she dies, she believes that, “I will need everyone’s prayers, but eventually I will be with God. I know I will be missed by my family, but I know that we will all meet again in Heaven. I look forward to seeing [Chuck, Dino,] my mom, dad, Helen Marie, and my brothers and sisters. I believe Heaven is a perfect place, otherwise our trials and problems on earth are for nothing. We have something much better to look forward to.” Another lesson taught was, “When someone dies, they go to heaven and that is a very good and happy place”. Helen is now a guardian angel in a very good and happy place.

This gentle, kind soul died on November, 9, 2022. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; son, Dino; daughter, Helen Marie; siblings, Patricia, Fadelina, Joseph, Consuelo, and Junior. She is survived by her sister Clorinda, 9 children, 22 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

Services will be held at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church on November 17th with a viewing at 9:30 am, Rosary at 10:30 am, and the rite of funeral Mass at 11:00 am. There will be a reception to follow from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, 7777 West 29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Rose of Lima Parish.