Obituary: Helen Meyer, of West Islip, Dies at 95

Died: October 23, 2017

Visitation: Thursday, Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Claude R. Boyd-Spencer Funeral Home on 255 Higbie Lane in West Islip.

Service: Friday, Oct. 27 starting at 10:30 a.m. at Westminister United Church on 109 Udall Road in West Islip.

Obituary:

Helen Meyer was born on September 17th 1922 and died peacefully in her sleep on October 23rd 2017. She was the second oldest child born to John and Lillian Wunder. Helen had four siblings: Lillian, who was her older sister, Dotty, who was her younger sister, and two younger brothers: John (also known as Bubby) and Ronnie.

Helen grew up in a three-story brownstone in Saint Marks Place, Brooklyn, a building owned by her mother's father. Helen's own father worked as a milkman and was also an avid fisherman, and her mother was a homemaker who loved to bake. From the time she was a very young child all the way up until the time she was in her 20s Helen, along with her sisters and brothers, spent their summers in Indian Lake, New Jersey.

Throughout her life she loved to share her fond memories of these fun-filled summers. Her uncles built the children their own playhouse that was located right behind the main house. Helen and her sisters enjoyed putting on little shows for themselves and others in this playhouse. They also would walk to the local public library and return home with a wagon full of books, books for their summer reading. As a child Helen took piano lessons and became an accomplished piano player. She taught herself how to play Clair de Lune which came to be her favorite piano piece along with Rustle of Spring and Chopin's Polonaise Militaire.

Helen attended an all-girls high school called Girls Commercial High where she took many secretarial courses. She had a close-knit group of girlfriends in high school – this group of girlfriends kept in touch and got together regularly with one another throughout their entire lives! Upon graduating from high school she got her first job as a secretary at a chemical firm called Faesy & Besthoff. It is here where she met her husband, Bob. Helen got married in the very same house that she grew up in at Saint Mark's Place on a very hot and humid September day in 1948. Unfortunately, the wedding photos were only taken by wedding guests because the professional photographer did not show up because he thought their wedding was the following week.

After getting married, Helen and Bob moved into their own apartment in Glendale, Queens – about a year or so later Helen gave birth to her older son, Bob, and a few years later, gave birth to her younger son, Jack. Soon thereafter the family bought a house way out in the boondocks of Suffolk County – in a town called West Islip. Living in suburbia with her family, Helen was a homemaker who also developed a love of gardening. She and her husband, Bob, planted rose bushes and lilacs, attended block parties in their neighborhood, and hosted barbecues in their backyard for many family get-togethers.

During her sons' growing up years the Saturday night dinner menu in the Meyer household was always the same: Hamburgers, French fries, and corn. This delicious meal was eaten while the whole family watched Perry Mason on television together. When her sons reached high school Helen returned to the workforce as a secretary to the school psychologists in the West Islip School District, a job she held for almost twenty years. Helen was an active member in her church. She and her husband helped found Westminster United Presbyterian Church and, for many years now, they have been the only surviving members of the original congregation. Helen felt honored and proud when the church's Fellowship Hall was named after her and her husband. Helen sang in the church choir, led the bible study group for many years, participated in the annual church craft fairs, and was active in many other ways as well.

Throughout her life Helen remained close to all her sisters and brothers, but especially to her sisters, and especially to her younger sister, Dotty, to whom she often went to for advice on various matters. Like many people, Helen and her sister, Dotty, were a little nervous when it came to flying in airplanes. This was back in the days when the pilot would greet the passengers as they boarded the plane. On one occasion, as Dotty walked onto the plane, the pilot greeted her by asking, "So how are you today?" to which Dotty replied without missing a beat, "More importantly, how are YOU doing today?" Helen loved telling this funny story about her younger sister's sense of humor.

Helen enjoyed 33 years of retirement! For several years Helen and her husband, Bob, participated in an educational vacation program called Elder Hostel which is now known as Road Scholar They visited different parts of the United States and took classes about various subjects that had to do with local history, current events, and other interesting topics. Soon after that Helen and her husband began spending their winter months vacationing in Fort Pierce, Florida where they would rent a house in a senior living community called Spanish Lakes. Her two sisters, Dotty and Lillian, and their husbands, Santo and Jim, lived in Spanish Lakes year round. The three couples went golfing together, played bingo at the community center, played card games, and ate at their favorite restaurant which was called Norris'.

In 1979 all three couples went on a very special vacation to Disney World to celebrate the wedding anniversaries of all three of them – everybody had a wonderful time and Helen always enjoyed reminiscing about this vacation in the years that followed. During her retirement years Helen and her husband also enjoyed spending time with their older son, Bob, and his wife, Marian. They would go on vacations together (Disney World, Newport, Rhode Island, Atlantic City), go out to dinner, and do other fun things.

In September 2016 Helen and Bob moved out of their West Islip home and into an Atria Senior Living Facility in Lake Ronkonkoma. This facility offered them many interesting activities and social experiences with other senior citizens. Every evening they ate in a beautiful dining hall that had dinner menus and waitress service.

Helen is survived by her 95 year old husband, Bob, who is a World War II veteran who served in the Air Force as a navigator on B-17 planes. She is also survived by her older son, Bob, a retired psychologist, and his wife, Marian, as well as by her younger son, Jack, a software engineer, and his wife, Sue.

Helen has three grandchildren: Lisa, David Jonathan, and Rebecca. And she also has one beautiful great-grandchild named Jenna.

In lieu of flowers please make donations in Helen's name to Westminster United Presbyterian Church 109 Udall Road West Islip, New York 11795.

Info and photo via Claude R. Boyd-Spencer Funeral Home