Helena Kapjon

January 7, 1948 - December 3, 2020

Helena Firlit Kapjon, age 72, passed away on December 3, 2020 due to complications of Covid-19. She was born on January 7, 1948 in Heilbronn, Germany and immigrated to the United States as a young girl. She grew up in Chicago where she met and married George Anthony Kapjon, Sr. who preceded her in death in 1990. Helena worked as a secretary, keeping alive the magic of shorthand for note-taking into the era of computers, and fastidiously word processing and editing manuscripts at DePaul University for many years. After George, Sr.’s death, Helena found love again with Garry Pokin, who passed in 2014. They retired to the sun and beach of Florida. Helena is survived by her son George Kapjon and wife Rebecca (Becky) and her daughter Jodi Gaertner and husband Michael; her grandchildren Brittany, Bryanna, Gabriel, Sebastian, and Julian; her sister Harriet and husband Joseph (Joe); her brother Walter (Wally) and wife Jocefil (Josie); her sister-in-love Lynn McGowan and husband Rick; and her many nieces and nephews. She is remembered by family and friends for her kindness. Helena will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Memory Garden in St. Petersburg, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Doctors Without Borders who are helping with the fight against Covid-19, among their many other contributions, www.doctorswithoutborders.org.