Helga Cochran née Jedyk

Our beloved mother, wife, nana, sister, and friend, Helga, passed peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on April 11, 2024. Helga was born on July 4, 1952, in Virginiatown, Ontario, where her dad, Walter, had settled in 1949 to begin working as a gold miner while awaiting the arrival of his family from Germany. Helga is survived by her loving husband, Rodney, children Norman and Jane (Buffy), step-children Jaimie and Ryan (Bear), grandchildren Landon, Ethan, Riley, Jacob, Bryce, Taylor, Brayden, and Isabelle, sisters Karin and Margaret, brother Walter, and several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her parents, Walter and Adele, brother Benny, sister Monika, and her dearly beloved mother-in-law, Ramona.
  
Helga was a master gardener. The home she and Rod made together in Sandy Point was filled with plants of all descriptions, and the outside gardens boasted flowers and plants that were a glorious sight to behold. A woman of many talents, she excelled as a cook and baker, passing this love along to her children and grandchildren. Helga was a died-in-the-wool thrifter; she could not drive past a garage sale without stopping. She found cherished mementos wherever she went, and Rod often found himself transporting various unusual objects home to fulfill her vision. Visiting Nana and Papa’s place was a thrill for the grandchildren because it was filled with unique artifacts from all over the world. Helga adored being a grandmother, and she always had something fun planned when the kids came to visit. In her working years, she was qualified in industrial-level first aid, so you never had to worry about minor injuries when Helga was around. She tended to those she loved with skill and affection.   

Helga’s physical presence will be sorely missed, but her legacy of resilience, creativity, and caring lives on in all of us.  

A celebration of life will be held on Helga’s birthday, July 4th, in Sandy Point. Details to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Peace Health Hospice, who cared for Helga with such tenderness in her last days.