January 13, 1923 – May 5, 2021
Raised in the throes of Nazi Germany with a Polish-Jewish mother (a converted Catholic) and a German-Catholic father, Helga forged a prolific life across two continents that was filled to overflowing with the Lord’s protection and blessing.
Helga’s commanding presence, intellect, compassion for others and animals, candid demeanor, razor-sharp wit, observational humor, generosity, and resolute faith in God endeared her to many.
She was born in Gladbeck, Germany and later, for her safety, lived with her paternal grandparents on their farm in northern Germany—where her Jewish mother and, at times, a few other Jews (family friends) were secreted from the Nazis.
One unforgettable day in school, Helga stood in the front line at a special event for two major world leaders: Hitler and Mussolini. “His eyes were penetrating”—she’d often say of Hitler—“and looked like the eyes of the devil.”
But even amid such dark times, young Helga was quite the prankster. Once she put onions in her teacher’s purse. Another time she secretly fed wine-drenched berries to her grandparents’ rooster who then started acting wild—so wild that her grandfather actually thought the animal should be exorcised!
Education, education, education. That was the mantra her parents instilled in her. Fill your life with learning . . . and so she did.
Helga earned a degree in business administration and a banking assistant degree in Germany, but years later in the US, she would work in many fields of law as a secretary and a paralegal, even in entertainment law for Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox film studio. At the studios, she met John Wayne, Rod Taylor, Edward G. Robinson, Jeff Chandler, among other celebrities.
After World War II, she also served as secretary and interpreter (English, German, Yiddish) for Captain Harness—Camp Commander of the Jewish Displaced Persons Camp—as well as officials of the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) and the Jewish Camp Administration. The UNRRA aided displaced European Jews.
As an interpreter for the United States Courts in Germany, she interpreted for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and Fiorello LaGuardia (Jewish-Italian Mayor of New York, who also was a director general of the UNRRA).
Helga—a statuesque, five-foot-ten beauty who also had modeled for magazines back then—said of Patton: “He was tall, but so was I. Yet when he spoke, I felt like I had shrunk two inches.”
During her three-year tenure with the UNRRA, approximately 50,000 Jews were reestablished—either making Aliya to Israel or settling in another nation (US, others).
A handsome US Air Force man from Colorado won Helga’s affections along the way: Rudolph Romero. They married and in 1952 moved from Germany to the US with their young son, Rudy (née Leroy Rudolph).
Helga embraced her new country and became a naturalized US citizen on April 19, 1960. Over the years, the Romero family loved one another, worked hard, and enjoyed wherever they lived—California, Washington, Alaska, etc.
Years later, after Rudolph (1985) and Rudy (2008) preceded Helga in death, she found the strength to carry on—serving as a Eucharistic Minister in the Catholic church, sharing whatever she had with everyone around her, and crocheting afghans and other lovely creative items to gift, donate, or sell.
On May 5, 2021, this dynamic and caring servant of the Lord entered heaven, reuniting with her beloved husband, son, parents, and grandparents.
Until we meet again, Helga . . . you will be deeply missed. You are an indelible love mark on our souls. Thank you for blessing our lives with your vivacious personality and servant’s heart in all things good.
A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Las Vegas on June 15 at 11 am. At 1 pm that same day, a brief niche-side ceremony will be held at Palm Mortuary’s Downtown Cemetery, 1325 N. Main St, Las Vegas, NV.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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