Helen Rybicki Hintz

On Thursday, November 17th, Helen Rybicki Hintz, a beloved sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, peacefully passed away in Memphis, TN. She was ninety-five years old. Born to Angela Kula and Anthony Rybiki, Helen was born into a large family in Manchester, NH on December 7, 1926.

Helen grew up in Manchester before moving away to Connecticut to live with her sister and brother in law and work for Traveler’s Insurance in Hartford. It was in Connecticut where she would meet her husband and love of her life, Ernest ‘Bud’ Hintz. After 8 years at Traveler’s, she decided to go to Nursing

School and worked at Middlesex Memorial Hospital in Middletown for 25 years. After retiring from the hospital, she continued to work in nursing homes for another 2 years. Helen worked full time as a hospital nurse while raising her children, Ernst and Karen. They lived in a neighborhood surrounded by family. Helen loved doing things with her husband like gardening, shopping, and trying out new restaurants. She carried pictures of their home with flowers in full bloom to show off their hard work. Helen also loved to bake and was famous among family, friends and coworkers for her cookies, cakes and pies. She loved to host family gatherings in their ‘House on the Hill’ and entertain with lots of food. Helen enjoyed sewing, rug hooking and home décor. She was the best bargain shopper and was famous for scoring great deals on everything. She was incredibly proud of her Polish heritage and would drop a few slang phrases in Polish from time to time, much to the delight of her grandchildren. She was an extremely faithful woman and was devoted to the Catholic Church. Helen never met a stranger and engaged in conversation with all. She had an extremely generous and kind spirit. Helen and Bud were together for over fifty years before his sudden death in 1999. Helen moved to Virginia Beach, VA following his death for 20 years. She then moved to Collierville, TN in 2020 to be near her family. She enjoyed a wonderful life there with her friends at the Langford, especially her close friend Bernie LaForrest. Helen lived a full and interesting life and will be greatly missed by her family. She always used to say “Family is the most important thing”.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband Bud.

She is survived by her brother Edmund Rybicki, 99 in Hull, MA. Helen also has a son and daughter in law,

Ernst and Jeri Hintz, grandchildren Jessica, Matt, Katya and Keira of Kirksville, MO. Her daughter, Karen Charlton of Collierville, TN. Her granddaughter, Colleen, husband Michael and great grandchildren, Miles and Ava Grace Henderson. Her granddaughter, Kate, husband Mark and great grandchildren Aidan Bryant and Mina Moore.

A celebration of life service will be held at the Langford of Collierville, TN to remember Helen on December 17, 2002 at 10am. Her remains will be transported to Connecticut at a later time to be laid to rest with her beloved husband in Pine Grove Cemetery in Middletown.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.colliervillefuneral.com for the Hintz family.