Helen Messock

Helen Elizabeth Messock, best known to everyone as Aunt Helen, passed away from this life on June 17th, 2024, 10 days before her 98th birthday. Although born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, she lived most of her life in Grand Rapids, a member of St. Joseph and St. John Vianney Church. Helen has been a resident of St. Ann’s Home since 2017. Born on June 27th, 1926, the daughter of John J. And Helen Messock. She graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1944. She cared deeply about her religious faith. Helen loved to read and often would read three books a week, covering a wide range of subjects. Helen was a letter writer and loved writing and receiving letters from all her Pennsylvanian cousins, too numerous to mention. She loved to cook and was a great cook, especially the Hungarian dishes she learned from her mother. She always listened to the radio as she cooked. Helen was passionate about the Detroit Tigers, rarely missing a game on TV. She enjoyed outings to the casinos and enjoyed playing Bingo. Helen worked hard all her life, retiring from Steelcase in 1991. Helen always kept busy and loved to travel during her life, always taking lots of pictures. These trips meant so much to her, especially trips with all her Fodor cousins. She never married, but instead devoted her life to being a caretaker to her mother, father and her brother Jim. She loved her extended family and was a wonderful aunt and great-aunt. Having no children of her own, her great-great nieces and nephews were very special to her.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers John (Jacqueline) Messock and James Messock, and her sisters Esther Messock and Dorothy (Paul) Shick. In addition, she was preceded by her nephews David Messock, Steve Shick, niece, Mary Ann Messock, great-great niece Addison Worst, and nephew by marriage Steve VandenBrink.

She is survived by her brother William and sister in law Patricia Messock as well as the first generation nieces and nephews, Margaret and Harry Worst, Therese VandenBrink, Jackie Messock Jr., Kathy Shick and David, Lorraine and Mike Vogel, Michelle and Dave Vlug, and Patrick and Krista Messock and many great-great nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at St. Ann’s Home for her wonderful care the past seven years as well as the great staff at St. Mary’s/Trinity Health Hospital. A special thanks to her best friend Phyllis Timm and Phyllis’s family for being a wonderful friend for many years. Thank you to her many cousins in the Fodor family and cousins back in Pennsylvania. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 24th at 2 PM The Chapel at St. Ann’s Home with a visitation one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Grand Rapids Veteran’s Home or St. Ann’s Home. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.