Helen Van Woerkom (Tomczyk), 99, of Grass Valley, CA, passed away on November 6th 2022. She was a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter and friend.
She’s remembered with love by her five living children Christopher Van Woerkom (and wife Marjorie Van Woerkom) of Fort Collins, CO., Marie Reed (and husband David Hori) of Sedona, AZ., Martha Van Woerkom of Annapolis, MD., Celeste Rind (and husband David Rind) of Kirkland, WA., and Leon Van Woerkom (and wife Reya Van Woerkom) of San Jose, CA. as well as many treasured grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband of 47 years Alfons Robert Van Woerkom and her oldest son Mark Van Woerkom.
Helen was born on August 1st, 1923 in Hamtrammack (a suburb of Detroit), Michigan, the third child of seven and first daughter to Polish parents Antoni and Stella Tomczyk. She spent her formative years growing up in Flint, Michigan, in a predominantly Polish community. She moved to Glendale California with her friend Margaret when she was in her twenties. In California she worked as a secretary/office assistant.
Helen met Al in Glendale, CA at a church social, where he fell in love with the tall, beautiful woman with a heart of gold. They married on January 29th, 1949. They moved to Napa shortly after they married so that Al could take a job working for the Napa County Health Department. She and Al built their first home in 1952, the same year their son Mark was born. Three years later in 1955 their second son Christopher arrived followed by Marie in 1957, Martha in 1958, Celeste in 1961 and Leon in 1963. Helen and Al loved Napa, where they stayed, lived in three different homes, and raised their six children. Once the children were grown, Helen took a job working for the City of Napa in the Payroll Dept. She was bright and a wiz with numbers. After many years of illness, Al passed away in 1996 and she moved to Grass Valley to be closer to family.
After raising their children Al and Helen enjoyed traveling and were fortunate to have visited many different countries as well as spending time exploring the US in a selection of various travel trailers they owned over the years. They had many friends and enjoyed hosting them at their home and treating them to Helen’s wonderful cooking and baking.
Helen’s greatest pleasure was spending time with her family. It was a joy to see her face light up when a family member arrived for a visit and they did that often. Helen was a gracious and kind person and remained so to the end. She was a wonderful seamstress (necessitated by the inability to purchase clothes for her tall children) and a stickler for healthful eating and lifestyle before it became vogue. She spoke often and lovingly of her Michigan family. Although softspoken and humble, Helen was the family anchor with her competence and unconditional love. She will be missed by all who knew her.
