Helga Lepp

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15

CUYAHOGA FALLS -Helga Janzen Lepp was born February 2, 1907, and died February 27, 2011, at the age of 104. She was born in the small town of Rosenort in the Ukraine, then a part of Czarist Russia, 70 miles north of the Black Sea. By age 17, she had survived the Russian Revolution. Helga's family was able to leave Russia in December 1924. On Christmas Eve, Helga, her parents, four brothers and six sisters arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada. When Helga stepped onto Canadian soil, her first words were "Now we will never have to be hungry again." That is probably why no one ever was allowed to go hungry in her presence. She could cook anything and she would set a table for anyone.

On February 25, 1933, Helga married Gerhard Johann Lepp and left Canada for the United States. Helga and her husband lived in Pennsylvania, then Nebraska and finally settled in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1941. She became an American citizen in 1942.
Helga showed her gift for music at a very early age and her father saw to it that she was able to take lessons even when times were hard. She graduated from the Toronto Conservatory of Music with a degree in Piano Performance. Helga was the organist at First United Methodist Church in Cuyahoga Falls from 1947 to 1970 and at The Church in Silver Lake from 1970 to 1977. She was a past member of Tuesday Musical Club and The American Guild of Organists.
Helga loved opera and for her 89th birthday she was able to fulfill her wish of going to The New York Metropolitan Opera where she saw her favorite, La Boheme.

Helga's life was one of tremendous compassion and faith. Nothing was more important to her than her Lord and Savior. She demonstrated this not only by her words, but by the way she lived. Her complaints were few and her thankfulness for all God had given her had no end. Her family feels the sorrow of her passing but finds joy in the knowledge that for her the best is yet to come. We hear Christ off in the distance saying to her "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will put you over much." And we hear mom's reply in a hymn, "Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art."

Lisa, her daughter, who gave extraordinary care to Mom in later years, deserves special thanks. Our family is so appreciative of the compassionate and caring staff at the assisted living unit in Traditions at Bath Road, especially nurses Cassie and Rachel and aides Louise, Lena, Audra, Linda and Kim. Also, thank you to the hospice care staff for their compassionate care.

Helga is survived by children John (Sally) Lepp, Peter (Dorothy) Lepp, Lisa (George) MacAdam and Paul (Mary Ann) Lepp. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild and by her sister Marta Schafer of Waterloo, Ontario .
Helga was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Gerhard, two grandsons, Paul Gerhard Lepp and Kevin Christopher Lepp, and nine siblings.

Calling hours will be Friday, March 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at The Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home, 1930 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. A service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at The First United Methodist Church, 245 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221, Dr. David A. Baker officiating, with calling hours one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of other remembrances, the family suggests donations be made to Hospice Visiting Nurse Service, 3358 Ridgewood Rd, Akron, Ohio 44333 or First United Methodist Church, (Gift and Memorials Fund). Arrangements handled by Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home, 330-928-2147.

Please click on this link to view Mrs. Lepp's video Tribute: http://videos.lifetributes.com/MediaViewer2.0/MovieViewer.aspx?id=201510