Helene Sophie Hafliger

Born in Ettiswill, Switzerland, Helen was the 6th of 12 children. In her youth, she took care of her many siblings before attending culinary school in Wallisau, working in Arosa, and then moving to England to learn more English. In 1957, when she was 28, she came to the US to work for a year for a family who sponsored her in Connecticut. They helped her get her work visa and from there, she went on to work for Stouffers in Philadelphia, PA and then to Guido's Swiss Inn in Aspen, CO which she really loved. In 1960, she sponsored her two sisters, Lilo and Margarete, to come to the US where she found them jobs in Glencoe, IL.

In 1963, Helen came to the Lake Tahoe area and worked at the Swiss Chalet for 8 years before meeting Harvey Gross, who offered her a waitressing job at The Top of the Wheel Restaurant. She worked at Harvey's until it was sold to Harrah's where she worked at the Forest Buffet. She retired at age 90 due to an eye disease.

During the 49 years she worked at Harvey's and Harrah's, Helen became so well known and loved by many people in Tahoe that you could not take her anywhere without someone coming up to her to say hello. One time recently, a young officer coming to explain a traffic delay looked in the car and said "Oh! Hi Helen!"

Helen traveled extensively throughout her life and especially enjoyed numerous Super Bowl trips with her late nephew, Roland. in the last few years, Helen would leave her Stateline apartment to stay with her sister Lilo in Gardnerville but was frequently in and out of the hospital. She eventually came to reside at the Gardnerville Health and Rehabilitation Center where her sister would visit her most every day. Helen passed away quietly and peacefully on Thursday, August 29th. She leaves behind her sisters, Lilo and Margarete, a brother still in Switzerland, her nephew Ralph Kasper, his wife Stacey, and their two daughters.