Helen Licina Fejta of Penn Valley, California died on May 16, 2023 at the age of 98. She was an extraordinary woman who remained bright and insightful until the end of her long life.
Helen was born on November 13, 1924 in Cadiz, Ohio, the 15th of 16 children to Anna Generalovic Licina and George Licina, both immigrants from Tuslovic, Yugoslavia. Helen adored growing up in her large Serbian family and focused on the happy memories of her childhood, rather than the severe economic hardships her family endured throughout the Great Depression.
Helen was a 1942 graduate of Thornton Township High School in Homewood, Illinois. She was the first child of her family to obtain a high school diploma, despite being struck by tuberculosis in her senior year. At age 17, Helen was ordered to bedrest for two years with low odds of survival, and she used that time to write encouraging letters to soldiers on the front lines of World War II. She survived her illness and met such a soldier a few years later in Chicago, former Marine Stanley Dean Fejta. They were fellow employees of the Marshall Fields Department Store and while courting, would meet under the store’s famous clock to go dancing. They wed on December 21, 1946 in Harvey, Illinois and were married for 72 years until Stan passed in 2019. Helen said that her long marriage was the proudest accomplishment of her life.
Helen and Stan had two children and lived in many places throughout the country in pursuit of opportunities for business and Stan’s career. Helen was an impeccable bookkeeper, and provided unwavering strength and support that made success possible. In 1965, Helen and Stan moved their family from Florida to New Orleans and founded the Fejta Construction Company, which built apartment buildings, hotels, and skyscrapers.
In 1975 Helen opened Calliope, a specialty music box shop in the Hyatt Regency Hotel of New Orleans. She ran the shop, later renamed Harmony House, for nearly 15 years. Running her own business provided Helen the opportunity to travel the world with Stan to discover rare and exquisite music boxes. In addition to her business, Helen was known in New Orleans for her gracious hosting, memorable social events, and excellent cooking. She was an avid reader, and among her favorite authors were Saul Bellow and Joan Didion. She loved the opera and the big band performers of her young Chicago days.
Early in their marriage Helen and Stan had lived in Northern California and vowed to return. In 1989, they found 56 acres in Penn Valley that she told Stan was perfect. During their retirement years, they founded the Indian Springs Wildlife Trust, a sanctuary for birds and other animals. Helen and Stan, always community minded, welcomed hundreds of local visitors to their home, and contributed to school scholarships and community projects that benefited students and educators all over Nevada County. Helen and Stan’s over thirty years in Penn Valley were the happiest decades of their marriage, filled with family, friends, and love and appreciation for one another.
Helen is survived by two children, six grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren, as well as many cherished members of the Licina and Fejta families.
Helen adored chickens and her beloved home in Penn Valley provided the opportunity to raise them. “I love their little noises,” she would say, “they make me happy.” Helen herself made people happy; she had the unique ability to make people feel special. Helen will be forever missed by her family and the many others who loved her.
Arrangements were under the direction of Hooper & Weaver Mortuary.
