Cover photo for Helen Yagiela's Obituary
Helen Yagiela Profile Photo
1925 Helen 2024

Helen Yagiela

June 23, 1925 — November 28, 2024

Helen Yagiela passed away on November 28 at 99 years of age.  She will be remembered by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for many things.  Her apple pie, the nickname "Shorty" bestowed on her by her granddaughter Emily; her love of cats, including the feral ones living in her back yard, her flowers and gardening, especially her roses.  She was thrifty to a fault.  She had an acerbic sense of humor and loved dessert, especially anything with chocolate.

Helen possessed tenacity and determination, which served her well throughout her life.  Born and raised in Hamtramck, Michigan, she grew up during the Depression and her early years were difficult.  After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Army Nurse's Cadet Program at Grace Hospital.  Even though the training was challenging and often intimidating, she persevered and graduated as a registered nurse in 1947.

While still in the program, Frank Yagiela asked her to marry.  Unlike today's nursing programs, the Army Cadet Program had many rules governing what the cadets could and could not do.  They could not get married without permission from the program.  If a cadet violated the rule, they would be discharged from the program.  Helen summoned the courage to ask the program director for permission and after much back and forth, was allowed to marry.  After she graduated, Helen worked at Grace Hospital for a brief time, then became the office nurse for a pediatrician in downtown Detroit.

When Helen and Frank started their family, Helen stopped working as a nurse and devoted her attention to raising their three children.  She paid attention to their needs, especially their emotional ones, often in interesting ways.  She would, for example, invite each child's teacher over to the house for lunch during the school year, as a bridge for candor and support.  One time, when one of her children was in a classroom with an abusive student teacher, she went to the school and observed the teacher's actions; her vigilance led to the student teacher's discharge.

Helen became an expert seamstress, making her own clothes at Christmas time, costuming dolls for Goodfellows.  She became an accomplished artist, doing drawings and paintings that adorned the home, making metal sculptures she sold in gift shops and becoming quite proficient at working in stained glass.

An unspoken truth was that Helen missed being a nurse.  When the kids were able to take care of themselves, Helen decided to return the nursing profession.  It was late 1960s, when having a career was not the norm for married women.  Starting as a part-time nurse in the nursery at St. Mary's in Livonia, she moved on to be a staff nurse at Sinai in Detroit.  Helen fulfilled her career as a Head Nurse on a neurosurgical floor for over a decade.  She often shared with immense pride the joy that she got from working as a nurse and having a career.  Helen was dedicated to her patients and their competent care.

Following Frank's death, Helen struggled with loss, but she found a new purpose, helping others as a volunteer.  Drawing upon her sewing skills, she repaired donated clothing at the American Cancer Society's Discovery Store.  Her interest in fiction led her to volunteer time at the Livonia Library.  She was most proud of her return to a hospital setting, volunteering at St. Mary Mercy Hospital one day a week, well into her 90's.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Yagiela, please visit our flower store.

Guestbook




Visits: 96

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree