DUTSCHEK, Helen Theresa - Peacefully at Hollandview Trail Retirement Home in Aurora on March 7, 2021 at the age of 92 years.
Helen was born in Toronto, Ontario to parents Cecilia & Steven Schweighardt, and she deeply loved her parents and brothers Steve Summers & John Summers, who all predeceased her. She loved her sister-in-law Ann Summers (John) deeply as the sister she never had. They were best friends and enjoyed many happy years of friendship and love from the time they were teenagers.
Helen’s many nieces and nephews both in the Summers & Dutschek families loved her dearly for her kind, caring and steadfast love.
Helen’s life was always about her faith and her family. She enjoyed many wonderful years in St. Patrick’s parish in Toronto and after she married, moved to St. Edward’s Parish in North York.
Helen married the love of her life, Conrad Dutschek on August 30, 1947, at the age of 18 years and they went on to build a beautiful life and family together over their 69 year marriage. Conrad passed in February 2017.
Helen’s family of 5 children – AnnMarie (Jerry), John (Eileen), Michael (Sandra), Conrad (Cathy), Karen (Orlando), 13 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren are so grateful and proud that she was our beloved Oma. Oma was the heart and soul of the Dutschek family. She was the best Mom and Oma ever and her deep faith in God set an example of goodness that truly taught and inspired her family every day. She was our confidante, our nurturer, our role model and our champion.
She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed. We will miss her beautiful smile, her twinkling eyes and sense of humour, her deep and abiding love and interest in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her wisdom and her kind-hearted ways. We will miss her kind, gentle and loving guidance and the way she would soothe a hurting spirit by saying “I will pray for you.”
Oma had a huge heart for helping others, and could always be found cooking and helping out where she saw a need. She was truly gifted with her needle work and the family feels so grateful for all the beautiful cross-stitch treasures she gave us over the years to mark weddings, anniversaries and the birth of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would make baby bonnets and present them to family and friends with much love to be kept for that baby’s future special event as a keepsake of their birth to be passed on.
There are so many wonderful people the family would like to thank for all the kindness and care for Mom over this last very difficult year and beyond. Her Steckley Street neighbours, and in particular her next door neighbour Tim who watched over her – thank you Tim. To her caregiver Jamie who was like a granddaughter to her – thank you Jamie. To her friend Dave Tate from Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church who would bring Mom Communion and shared a wonderful friendship and Sunday visits with her - we thank you Dave. To her Hollandview Trail Retirement Home family and all of the caregivers - thank you for all your kindness, compassion and care. In particular to Venus and Jackie who were always there, even in her final hours, lovingly caring for Oma, we can never truly tell you what your loving care meant to her and the family. To Dr. Baguio and all of the Palliative team we will forever be grateful for your compassion and excellence.
Arrangements are entrusted with Thompson funeral home, Aurora. There will be a private family funeral mass at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Aurora after which Helen will be laid to rest with her husband.
In lieu of flowers, please take a moment to reach out and bring kindness and comfort to someone in need in Helen’s memory. Donations to the Aurora Food Pantry https://aurorafoodpantry.ca/ or Heart & Stroke Foundation https://hsf.donorportal.ca/Donation/Donation.aspx?F=1773&T=GENER&L=en-CA&G=328&NFP=1 would also be greatly appreciated.
Helen Theresa Dutschek, our Oma, was the epitome of goodness and a life well lived. She gave so much to her family and friends with her great big, charitable heart and her example of living a life of true purpose – serving others. Her Catholic faith was at the core of all that she did, and she lived her faith with grace, kindness and a generous spirit. We will remember her always for her beautiful spirit, her golden heart and the legacy of goodness and love that she leaves behind for us all. We love you Oma forever and for always!
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