Person Page 5,089

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Grace M. Helling, 89, of Stonehill Care Center, formerly of 2511 Windsor Ave., died at 4:22 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2006, at The Finley Hospital, Dubuque.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Westview Funeral Home, 2659 Kennedy Road, where there will be a parish scripture wake service at 2 p.m.

Mrs. Helling worked at the Dubuque Battery Factory and later was director of housekeeping at Xavier Hospital for 22 years, retiring in 1981.

She was born on Sept. 11, 1916, in Dubuque, daughter of William and Anna (Bockes) Craft. She married Leonard B. Helling on Sept. 17, 1945, at St. Mary's Catholic Church; he preceded her in death in January 1986.

She attended St. Mary's grade school and Dubuque Senior High School.

She was a member of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra board, the Xavier Auxiliary, Sacred Heart Parish and its Rosary Society and was a Boy Scout den mother.

Grace was known for her famous one-liners and quick Irish wit. She was an avid tennis player who also enjoyed reading, playing cards and was a fan of all sports. Grace was a great mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and her children and grandchildren were the joy of her life.

Surviving are her children, Bill (special friend, Beth Hilken) Helling, John (Nancy) Helling and Mary (Tom) Scherf, all of Dubuque; her grandchildren, Andrea Helling-Hernandez and Jason Helling, of Woodbridge, Va., and Sara and Carolyn Scherf, of Dubuque; her great grandchildren, Ava Rose and Hayden Cruz Hernandez, of Woodbridge; and her sister, June Craft-Pitt, of San Diego.

She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Ann Marie, at birth; her parents; and her sister and brother-in-law: Ann and Robert Stephens.

Obituary – North County Times, Oceanside, California; Thursday, 14 AUG 2003, page B-7 (Newspapers.com):

Ann E. Stephens

2-12-18 – 7-10-03

Ann was born in Dubuque, Iowa, to Mr. and Mrs. William Craft. She moved to San Diego in the early 1940s, where she worked for Western Airlines as a passenger agent for over 15 years.

She married Robert L. Stephens in 1955, who preceded her in death on Nov. 8, 1999. For most of their married years, they lived in the original house on Carmel Valley Ranch, a four-story Victorian home originally used to yield food for the First Mercy Hospital. The home has since been dedicated as state and national historical site. Ann was a great benefactor of the St. William of York Catholic Church and also their first parishioner.

She donated many years to the San Diego and Borrego Springs Republican Women’s clubs. Being married to a cattleman and farmer, she also spent many years with the San Diego Cowbells, an affiliate for the Cattleman’s Association, where she was president in 1964 and ‘65, and Cowbell of the Year in 1979.

When antiques of history was the topic of conversation, Ann felt right at home. She loved her country and wanted to share her interest with others. She collected antiques for many years and each piece had a special story of its own.

Mrs. Stephens was survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Edmonds of Ramona and Ellen Stephens of Encinitas; two sisters, June Pitt of San Diego and Grace Helling of Dubuque, Iowa; and three grandchildren, Clayton, Colton and Lourdes.

Services will be held Aug. 23, at 11 a.m. with a small reception to follow at St. William of York Catholic Church located at 4343 Del Mar Trail Road, San Diego, CA 92130.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity or organization in Ann’s name.

; An engagement of Paul A. Pitt to Miss Ora Alice Gipe was announced in the 7 JAN 1943 issue of the Oakland Tribune newspaper, page 23, but there was no date for the wedding. Apparently that did not come to pass. (Newspapers.com).

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

June Marie Craft Pitt passed away peacefully on December 4, 2012. She was surrounded by her loving children and very special care-givers.

June was delivered into this world by her father on August 23, 1919, in Dubuque, Iowa. After high school and business college, she ventured to San Diego, California, with her sister, Ann, where she worked first at Marston Company and then Solar Aircraft as a secretary. She met and fell in love with Paul Pitt at Solar; they were married on July 16, 1943, and they would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this coming July.

June and Paul raised three children. June was very involved with her children's activities as a Cub Scout leader, a Girl Scout leader, in school parent organizations, as well as music and dance classes. And there were those wonderful yearly trips to the Sierras where she and Paul helped to instill a love of camping and the beauty of the mountains.

As her children grew older, June became involved with community organizations. She was a Charter member of and held many offices in the Rolando Women's Club and remained a member until it disbanded two years ago. She was a member of the philanthropic sorority, Sigma Alpha, for 55 years. This sorority supports education for autistic children.

June was a long time parishioner of St. Therese Catholic Community. She also was a docent for the San Diego Natural History Museum for over 20 years. In that capacity, she led her daughter, Paulette's 8th grade classes up Cowles Mountain each year to discover the natural beauty the San Diego chaparral.

June had many talents, the first of which was a welcoming personality that sparkled. She was gifted with a beautiful voice and was always ready to sing and get everyone else singing, too. She was an outstanding seamstress and stitchery artist; her hands were always occupied with sewing projects as she watched TV. And best of all, June was a great fisherman; she was always ready to cast a line out.

June is predeceased by her beloved husband who passed away less than a month before her. She is also predeceased by her sisters, Ann and Grace.

She is survived by her children: son, James Pitt, daughter, Paulette Newcom and daughter, Lauren Binder. She is also survived by her grandsons, Alex and Colin. She will be missed by her loving sisters of Sigma Alpha and her many friends and neighbors.

A Mass of Celebration of Life will be held for both June and Paul at St. Therese Catholic Church, 6016 Camino Rico, San Diego 92120 in the Allied Gardens / Del Cerro area, on Friday, January 11, 2013, at 11am. A reception will follow at the church hall. Interment will be at EI Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of June to Sigma Alpha Sorority, 4795 Mayapan Dr., La Mesa, CA 91941; in memory of Paul to Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering, Attn: Andrew Davol, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93407; or for both June and Paul to San Diego Hospice, 4311 Third Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. Published in San Diego Union-Tribune on December 16, 2012.