Helen L. Leggieri

December 5, 1924 - January 12, 2016

Helen Leggieri passed away at her home in Valatie on January 12, 2016. She was 91. Helen was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, but grew up in Joliet, Illinois, and was proud of her Midwestern roots. She graduated from Joliet Township High School and Metropolitan Business College in Joliet. During the war she was a secretary at the Navy plant in Rockdale, Ill. and there met her future husband, Gerald, who was being deployed to Guam. Upon his return from the Pacific they married on November 18, 1945 and were married for 63 years. After marrying they returned to Gerald’s hometown, Hudson, NY where they raised two sons, Gerald, Jr. (Rebecca) of Valatie, and James (Beth) of Denton, TX. Gerald was Superintendent of Cemeteries for the City of Hudson for 27 years. Helen was primarily a homemaker, but also worked for Bausch and Lomb and L & B Products. Upon Gerald’s retirement from the Cemetery, they moved to Valatie where they lived for the past 40 years. Family was very important to Helen and they traveled to visit family scattered across the country, sightsee, and attend naval reunions. While in Hudson Helen was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, and in Valatie, St. Luke’s. She loved her family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Helen was pre-deceased by her husband, Gerald, brother Orville Jordan, and sister Erma Weibel. She is survived by her brother Charles Jordan (Rosalie), her two sons, and four grandchildren: Elisa (Christopher) Murphy of Springfield, PA., Michael (Shannon) Leggieri of Oakland, CA., Elizabeth Ann (Randall) Bolt of Houston, TX., and Rebecca (Christopher) Sowyrda of Houston, Tx. She is also survived by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Rudy and Trudy Leggieri of Claverack, with whom she had a special relationship over the course of her life. She leaves seven great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews across the country. Calling hours will begin at 10:00 a.m. on February 22, 2016 at Bates and Anderson Funeral Home, 110 Green St., Hudson, followed by a memorial service at 11:00. Interment will be at Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson. Anyone wanting to remember Helen may make a contribution to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Building Fund, PO Box 127, Valatie, NY, 12184. Patricia McKenna Columbia Greene Media 1 Hudson City Centre