Helene Josephine Gerbron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 27, 1918 to Alfred Theodore Gerbron and Blanche Adele Wintergerst Gerbron. She grew up with her sister Adele and brothers Charles and Elbert in the family home on Limekiln Pike in Jarrettown, Pennsylvania.
Helene attended the Jarrettown School and was graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1936 and Germantown Hospital School of Nursing in 1939.
She was predeceased by her parents, brothers Alfred, Charles and Elbert, sister Adele Sprauer, husband Walter Hambrecht, daughter Joan Decker, son W. William, and great grandson Tristan Cross. She is survived by two sons, Robert (Carol) of Kansas City, Charles (Debra) of Lake Orion, Michigan, a daughter Suzanne Race (Rick) of ft. Myers, Florida, eight grandchildren and their families and nieces and nephews.
Helene passed away in Belton, Missouri on April 5, 2021 two months shy of her 103rd birthday... truly a life well lived.
We are all very sad to say goodbye to MomMom, our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother today. Helen and Walter Hambrecht met while working at SPS in Jenkintown, PA where she was the occupational health nurse. They built a wonderful life together with 5 children and moved to Ireland and Mexico City where they established homes and made friendships which continued through today. They built their waterfront vacation home in Beach Haven, NJ that we visited every summer with all the cousins, aunts and uncles. It was a familiar place, no matter where the US Navy had stuck my parents that year. Our folks would put us on a plane, and she would watch us all for weeks. She took us to see community theater once a week, the library often, Methodist Church every Sunday, and the beach twice a day. She served two or three meals a day for 10 or 11 people, with cocktails for the adults preceding, and had a full social life of lifelong friends and family. Sloppy table manners were discouraged.
She loved reading at the beach, sunbathing, swimming, waterskiing and spending hours on the power and sailboats. She was active in her churches, sang in church choirs, was an avid golfer, a volunteer with the emergency squad, as well as a champion bridge player well into her upper 90’s. Ambitious players would pick her up from her retirement home the last few years and drive her to their games for the points. She remained passionate about travel and travelled internationally at every opportunity. Walter died in 1996, but we were fortunate to have Helen with us for another 25 years. She left Sun City Center, FL and moved to Kansas City to be near Bob and Carol and family where she lived until she passed away today at age 102…..two months shy of her 103rd birthday. I really hope we got your genes, MomMom was the consummate matriarch and taught us well. We will continue her mantra of family first!
Thank you mother, grandmother, great grandmother and aunt for being a role model for all, and sharing and teaching us to live our best life. We will love you forever and be eternally grateful for the many fun filled years of memories we created together!
How incredibly lucky was I to have my mother, Helene G. Hambrecht, part of my life for almost 75 years! From her early years growing up at her Gerbron family home in Jarrettown, Pennsylvania her life was full of interesting experiences creating wonderful memories.
Mom taught us to take advantage of every opportunity and to be a participant, not merely an observer, in life. From our years living in Ireland and family summer trip in Europe, she taught us to expand our horizons and think globally... and we traveled internationally until she was well into her nineties. She really loved cruising, and our last few annual cruises together she made certain that we not only sailed on the same ship, but also booked the same cabin with a huge veranda across the back of the ship! She was game to try any new experience, but loved the beach and being on the water above all... must be in the genes!
What an amazing role model... so much so that I followed in her footsteps and chose the same career as an RN, and believe as she did that our most important role is that of wife, mother and grandmother. She made certain that I knew that fun times with family and friends was a top priority... and carpe diem!
Mom maintained her sense of humor... not an easy task with the isolation from Covid-19 the last year of her life, yet we laughed together during our phone visits every day. Mother - you truly lived your best life ever... for almost 103 years. Thank you for being the best mother ever and a wonderful family journey!
Your loving daughter, Suzanne Adele Hambrecht Race.
Dearest MomMom,
As your best (and only) son in law, you have really been an inspiration to us all, especially our family. Suzanne and the girls and I were always amazed the way you could entertain our family, plus your brother Elbert and his wife June, for holiday weekends at your Long Beach Island summer house. You would spend all afternoon at the beach with the grandkids and after everyone returned from the beach a full course dinner would magically appear with absolutely no fuss. It never failed...the more the merrier and the easier you made it seem.
I remember when Suzanne and I came to visit you at your home in Mexico City when Walt was working there for SPS in 1971. It seemed a mile high in altitude with traffic similar to New York City at 6pm. You loved living there, telling us the people, food, and the sights were all fantastic... and you were correct...we had a wonderful time visiting you.
You even made packing and moving fun when we helped you pack in Sun City Center, Florida. You couldn't wait to get to the Midwest to be near Bob and his family... and loved your time living in Missouri... especially weekends at their lake house and sailing with Captain Bob.
You truly were the matriarch of our family with your wonderful life spirit and great attitude. We will always miss you and smile every time we remember our times together. For almost 103 years your life lessons and advice have been so thoughtful. You invited us to keep you alive in our hearts, and we have been graced with your dignity saying goodbye to us all.
Thank you for being a phenomenal role model and loving us all unconditionally.
Forever, Rick.
I consider myself so very fortunate to have had you for my grandmother. I have so many memories of our many summers on the beaches of Long Beach Island where we spent endless days talking - and you were the one I trusted with all of my secrets. I have rarely laughed harder than those days on the beach.
I hope I told you that you were such a role model for me. I learned that it is okay to love people for who they are - and we all have flaws - but it is also okay to walk away from people and situations that become overwhelmingly disrespectful. I learned that your love of reading was contagious- and I have also found the pages of books to be one of my favorite pastimes. I also learned how to enjoy a good restaurant meal - and remember all of our seafood dinners while you had your small drink of scotch (which I never have learned to appreciate-and you understood:) Most importantly- I saw how to love our kids with a whole heart - even if they make you frustrated some days (as you did).
I fondly remember our last trip to Fedex Field to watch the Redskins - sitting in the front row where you chatted up a few of the players and got your picture taken with them. You were 92 - and had more energy than I did.
Thank you for being one of the most loving cheerleaders over the past 50 years. Your wisdom and laughter are sorely missed. I love you a lot - and I believe you knew that. And that is quite a gift.
Stacey Race (Owen) - grand daughter
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18