Helmy LaFleur Burtman

Helmy LaFleur Burtman, age 81, of Dove Canyon, CA passed away on April 18, 2023 while on hospice care due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. Born in Molidorf, Yugoslavia to Wilhelm and Barbara LaFleur, the family was forced to escape Yugoslavia on foot during World War II when she and her sister were only toddlers. She lived much of her childhood in Linz, Austria, before spending her teenage years in Germany. She moved to Mannheim for work as a secretary, one time as a Crime Scene Investigator's assistant, before beginning a career in bookkeeping. It was in Mannheim where she met an American soldier, Hanzil Burtman, who would eventually become her husband. When she immigrated to the U.S. in 1962, they married and lived in rural Illinois and Chicago, before settling in their first house in Hoffman Estates in 1970. In this home, she raised three children, mostly as a single mother. Without a lot of money, but much determination, she always figured out a way to get things done, many times by doing it herself. She impressed her neighbors by reroofing the house herself, with only the help of a reluctant teenage son. She was an impeccable seamstress who made many of her own outfits, as well as hemming and sewing things for others. She even lent her skills to Conant High School's renowned musical productions for years, even after her kids graduated. In 1982 she became an American citizen.

She worked as an accountant at Unocal for 20-plus years. In 1994, she accepted a transfer from that company and moved to Southern California where she was able to buy her dream home in Dove Canyon, with a view of a lake and mountains. She retired from Unocal in the late 1990s, and then worked for Ingram Micro before retiring again in 2009. In retirement, she became an avid walker and loved taking her dog and grand-dogs on the trails around her community, a nearby lake, or her favorite place, Point Vicente Lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes. She walked several miles a day until Parkinson's Disease took away her ability to do so.

She will be remembered for her devotion to her family, her sense of humor, her love of animals, and all living things (even spiders, much to the displeasure of her daughters). She loved a Cafe Vanilla Frappuccino (get one for today, and also one for tomorrow). She met every opportunity to see a Broadway show with enthusiasm. Her love of that genre was well-known, especially by passengers in her car in the 80s, who undoubtably learned the lyrics to "Cats" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which played on constant rotation. Her ability to find a great deal was legendary; her use of coupons at JoAnn Crafts store and Bed, Bath & Beyond was something to aspire to.

She is predeceased in death by her sister, Elisabeth "Lissy" Spritzendorfer and her parents. She is survived by her 3 children, Mark Burtman (Allison), Elisabeth "Lisa" Lischer (Rodney), and Christine Burtman (Greg Fera), and her brother Wilhelm LaFleur (Ursula), brother-in-law Seppi, and 3 nieces. She has 5 grandchildren, Airth (Elizabeth), Heather (Akhil Thomas), Rachel, Lauren and Charlie; and 2 great grandchildren, Ezra and Eleanor.

A Celebration of Life may take place at a later date. She donated her remains to Research for Life. If you would like to remember her by making a donation, please consider michaeljfox.org (Parkinson's Disease research and assistance), or your local animal shelter. She would also love if you had a Frappuccino or other sweet treat in her honor.