Helen Rose Smith Griffin

Helen Rose Smith Griffin died on Monday, August 12, 2024 in a San Antonio hospital after a fall that injured her spine. Despite a successful surgery, her kidneys failed and she succumbed to her injuries. She was a spirited 90-year-old, described by those who knew her as a beautiful soul, sassy, fun, loved and loving, sweet and kind, bossy, incomparable, amazing, wonderful, and beautiful (although she would always insist she wasn’t pretty). She was also an adored aunt, a beloved neighbor, and one extraordinary woman who is immensely missed.

Helen set a fine example for others, often making people laugh and smile and feel like family. As her only daughter in-law described best, “Helen was always generous, stylish, so efficient, crafty, a great cook, a great friend to many. Whether she was actually supposed to run the entire Lab at Garden State Hospital in New Jersey or not, she did. And no one argued with her. She took charge of so many things, and did it all well. She loved her family and loved being with them. She loved her pets, most recently her dog Gracie, rescued from the streets. She loved getting phone calls from friends and family, and somehow she and I would talk for over two hours. Every time.”

Helen was born on June 21, 1934 in New Brunswick, NJ. She grew up on a farm, speaking only Hungarian until she learned English in kindergarten. At age nine, she moved into town with her family. Helen was confirmed in the Hungarian Bayard Street Presbyterian Church, where she sang in the choir. She continued her membership in the Presbyterian church throughout her life, and lived her faith by being an open, loving and welcoming person.

Although Helen repeatedly said that she didn’t know what she wanted to do when she grew up, she graduated from secretarial school a year after high school. She then began her working career in NYC as a secretary for the Boy Scouts of America.

Helen married her high school sweetheart, James “Sid” Sidney Griffin, on August 7, 1954 in New Brunswick. They began married life in Key West, Florida, then moved to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she worked as a secretary in the pathology office. She and Sid moved back to New Jersey in 1960, living in South Jersey for 36 years.

Helen dedicated two decades to raising her four children, and “keeping them in line” as she would like to say. She volunteered at church and at a local hospital, eventually returning to full-time work as a lab secretary, until she and Sid retired to Key Largo, and later to Port Charlotte, Florida. There she volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, was a joyful member of the Red Hatter’s Club, the Crafty Girls and the HOA of South Gulf Cove. Helen and Sid celebrated their 60th anniversary shortly before he passed away. Helen lived her final 12 years in Richmond, Texas, the last eight with her daughter Suzanne. Helen was an active voter her entire life, never wanting to miss an election, and was looking forward to voting in the 2024 Presidential election.

Helen’s passions included singing, dancing, traveling, window shopping, bargain hunting, organizing, and crafting. She enjoyed collecting, especially antique pewter items, porcelain, art, griffin statues, recipes, stories, good friends and good times. Another passion, one she sought to hide from her children, was for king-size Hershey bars. Helen would buy one while shopping after work, come home with it half eaten, and try to surreptitiously place it on top of the fridge out of sight. Some of Helen’s talents were for home renovation, interior decorating, meeting people, and throwing parties for any celebrations. She never hesitated to open her home and dinner table to others, often uttering her favorite phrases “never a dull moment!” and “the more the merrier.”

Scarred by a neighbor shooting her first dog for killing his chicken, Helen was deeply compassionate with animals. She enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels outside her windows compete for seed at the bird feeders. Over the years she adopted several stray dogs and cats. Her final fur baby was a senior rescue dog she named Gracie, who was equally devoted to and protective of Helen until Gracie’s passing in 2022.

Helen was predeceased by her husband Sid in 2014, her father Lincoln Smith in 1983, her mother Julia Smith in 1991, and her brother Elmer Smith in 1990.

Helen is survived by her son and daughter in-law, Brian and Esther Griffin of Beaverton, OR; her daughters and sons-in-law Suzanne and Bert Natalicchio of Richmond, TX; Kathryn and Steve Leete of Ashburn, VA; and Ilona and David Pope of New Braunfels, TX. Helen is also survived by nine grandchildren: David Griffin; Adam Griffin; Emelia Natalicchio Conte; Luke Natalicchio; William Leete; Annabelle Leete; Michael Pope; Sarah Pope Camacho; Jacob Pope, and one great-grandchild, Ezra Conte. She is also survived by her six Smith nieces and nephews; her first cousins Barbara Kovacs (and family) and Mous Katz; and many more cousins, nieces, nephews, and loving friends.

Memorial services will be held in 2025 at Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick, New Jersey, where both Helen and Sid’s cremains will be interred together per their wishes. Exact details will be forthcoming. Although Helen deeply enjoyed her plants and flowers, she would have greatly appreciated donations be made to the SPCA or your local animal shelter, or better yet, consider adopting a pet.

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