Helen P. Appezzato

Helen P. (Urciuoli) Appezzato, who celebrated her 101st birthday in April with her family, died peacefully Sept. 15, 2025, at Complete Care at Westfield.
 
Born April 8, 1924, in Westfield, the youngest of seven children, Helen lived most of her life in Westfield, though lived in Cranford for about 15 years before moving back to Westfield in 1994.
 
Helen worked for many years as a machine operator at the General Cellulose Company in Garwood and then Whitestone Products in Piscataway before retiring in the late 1970s.
 
Helen met the love of her life, Felice “Red” Appezzato one evening in the mid-1940s when both were out bowling with friends at the old Westfield Lanes on North Avenue. “I kept thinking, ‘Why does this man keep looking at me?'” she once recalled. The two began dating and were engaged in 1947. By Helen's own admission, “Red” wasn’t ready for marriage and they eventually broke up. However, in a page out of the movies, they reconnected years later and were married on June 7,1958, at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield.
 
They built a life together, raising their son, John, until “Red’s” passing in February 1994.
 
Helen moved to the Westfield Senior Citizens apartments in June 1994, where she lived for the next 27 years. She made many friends there and was always willing to lend a helping hand whenever someone asked for a favor. She volunteered for numerous activities and served as a floor monitor for many years. She and her sister, Anna, also maintained a small garden at the senior housing. Helen also enjoyed quiet times and liked to read, do word finder puzzles and watch baseball on television. She had an extensive collection of Lenox figurine cats, which she loved to display. Helen also was an excellent cook, often preparing large meals for the family, especially at Christmas and Easter. 
 
One day after celebrating her 100th birthday in 2024 Helen watched the solar eclipse.
 
Helen was a baseball fan and loved the New York Yankees. In her younger days, she attended many games, including several World Series games in the 1940s, watching the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Bobby Richardson.
 
Helen was a fighter in the truest sense of the word and was an inspiration to others, having survived three bouts of breast cancer when she was in her 80s and 90s.
 
Besides her husband, Helen was predeceased by four sisters, Carmella Ventimiglia; Anna Urciuoli, Josephine Hannis and Lisa Ferry, and two brothers, Anthony and Dominick. Helen was the “baby” of the family and was the fourth of her siblings to make it past 100.
 
She is survived by her son, John, of Rahway, and many nieces and nephews.
 
Visitation will be from 4pm to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 18, 2025,  at the Rossi Funeral Home, 1937 Westfield Ave., Scotch Plains. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Septemebr 19, 2025 at St. Helen's Roman Catholic Church, 1600 Rahway Ave., Westfield, followed by burial at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations in Helen’s name may be made to the Humane Society. https://hope4pawshs.org/