Helen Kiraly

1923 - 2020

Helen A. Kiraly
Helen Kiraly, 96 years young, a longtime Fairfield resident, died Sunday, May 3, 2020 at St. Vincent's Hospital after complications from Covid-19.
She was born in Bridgeport on May 16, 1923. Helen was predeceased by her loving husband of 30 years, William (Bill) P. Kiraly; her parents, Jenny and Jacob Meyers; her sister Olga/Ollie (Victor) Kirk.
She lived with her parents, Jenny and Jacob Meyers and Ollie, on Scoffield Avenue and Whittier Street. The family then moved to Harvard Street, where they lived above the general store that her parents ran. Both of her parents came to the United States from Hungary. Helen and Ollie attended St. Steven School and Bassick High School.
"We were lucky during rationing because we got everything we needed from the store," she said. "To stretch every dollar, they used coupons and bought things on sale."
Helen met her husband at a party in Bridgeport. Bill served in World War II, receiving a Purple Heart after being wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. They corresponded during this time, and married after Bill returned from the war. They lived with Bill's parents after they married and then moved into a newly built Cape Cod house in Fairfield in 1950. Helen and Bill were long-time parishioners of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Fairfield.
Before she had children, Helen worked in the office of Brown & Pollack Columbia Records doing typing and time cards.
She stayed at home and raised four children and was fond of saying, "I have four children; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren." Teresa was born late in life and Helen devoted much of her life attending to her needs.
Helen and Bill socialized with Ollie and Victor, as well as with Bill's brothers, Al (Mary), Joe (Betty), James (Mary Ellen), and Ernie (Kitt) and other friends. They played a lot of cards, had barbecues in the back yards, and holiday get-togethers.
William died on March 16, 1976, after battling cancer. He was 57 years old; Helen never remarried. After his death, she joined Widows and Widowers, and spent time doing activities with members of this group. Helen spent a lot of time at the pool with her daughter, Teresa Kiraly, a Special Olympian medal winner, while she practiced and participated in Special Olympics events. They were also thankful for Fairfield Parks & Recreation that sponsored the many events for people with special needs and the wonderful staff and volunteers that made it all possible.
Our mother enjoyed her time at Spring Village (formerly Atria) in Stratford, where she moved from her long-time home in Fairfield. She had six wonderful years there, where she made new friends, and enjoyed doing crafts and playing games. Our family feels very lucky that Teresa was able to spend weekends with my mother and we want to thank the staff at both Spring Village and St. Vincent's Hospital for their exceptional care, especially during this time of Covid when we weren't able to be with her.
Helen liked to shop and especially enjoyed new clothes; always made a point of looking her best. She liked to play games, including bingo, poker, 31 and Pokeno. Up until a few months before her death, she was still playing cards – and winning!
She liked to travel with family including visits to Bermuda, Hawaii, California and Las Vegas – as well as many trips to Virginia to visit Gale and her family. There were many other trips to Canada, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Eastern Shore and Virginia Beach where Gale and her family met Helen, Teresa, Jim and the McCorkles (affectionately known as "The Goof Troop").
She was a devoted wife and mother, loving grandmother and great-grandmother. Helen was very generous and was loved by all and will be greatly missed.
Helen is survived by her four children: James Kiraly of Orange; Patricia McCorkle (Robb), of Orange; Gale Curcio (Tom), of Alexandria, VA; and Teresa Kiraly, of Bridgeport; grandchildren, Sean McCorkle (Jess); Sara Hale (Jon); Peter Curcio and Michael Curcio; and four great-grandchildren, Logan and Kiera McCorkle, and Brayden and Caitlyn Hale; sister-in-law Mary Ellen Kiraly and several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Kennedy Center – either online - https://www.thekennedycenterinc.org/giving/donate-now.html, or via mail - The Kennedy Center, Attn: Development Department, 2440 Reservoir Avenue Trumbull, CT 06611. A celebration of life mass will be held at a later time.
Due to the current health concerns, services will be private.Share an online condolence at: www.shaughnesseybanksfuneralhome.com