Helene Barlas

1926 - 2025

Helene Barlas
December 15, 1926 - October 3, 2025
Helene was born in 1926 in a small apartment in the Bronx, NY, which her immigrant parents, Philip and Libby Burlson, were sharing with her aunt and uncle. They lived in a working-class Jewish neighborhood and struggled to get by. They rented rooms to boarders to help out with the rent. Nevertheless, Helene experienced a very lively and culturally rich childhood. One of her most memorable after-school activities was attending Shule, or workman's circle. Shules were widespread in New York and other big cities where there were substantial Jewish populations. These were progressive left-wing schools where socialist principles as well as Yiddish literature, poetry, and theater were taught. Helene excelled at memorizing songs and plays, and loved being on stage.
In 1940, at age 13, Helene and her parents moved to Oakland, California. She attended Westlake Junior High and Oakland High School, graduating at the early age of 16. She attended UC Berkeley and graduated with honors with a degree in English.
Soon after World War II Helene met a young marine named Izzie Barlas, who had recently returned home after fighting in the Pacific. She was visiting her aunt and uncle, Millie and Sol, in Petaluma and was waiting to be picked up by Himmie Silver for a blind date. Himmie's best friend Izzie knew about the date and arrived first, claiming to be Himmie. He took Helene away on a date. They fell in love and were married in 1948. Himmie was their best man!
Helene and Izzie cherished their life in Petaluma, where they raised their son Lance in a home filled with love and warmth. When their grandsons Josh and Elliot arrived their level of love and dedication only multiplied. The boys were the lights of their lives. Helene loved nothing more than the kids' visits to her house, and she would shower them with affection, cooking for them (and their friends), picking them up from school, and otherwise catering to all their possible needs. In addition, Helene loved the entire extended Barlas family and had a particularly close relationship with her niece Shelley.
Helene wore many professional hats during her career. Soon after she married Izzie, on the ranch on Eastman Lane, she learned to drive in a pickup truck with no doors and brakes that had to be pumped. She developed a route selling dressed turkeys in San Francisco's Chinatown. She needed a sales gimmick, so she decided to promote her turkeys as "banana-fed", and her sales increased. She then worked as the display manager at Carithers Department Store, and then as the lead hostess at the Green Mill Inn. Finally, for over two decades she worked as a social worker with Sonoma County Child Protective Services, where she was known for her energy and compassion. Her co-worker Kerry Locklear became one of her dearest lifelong friends.
Helene, Izzie, and Lance took their trip of a lifetime to Australia in 1962. In Melbourne they connected with the very large Rubinstein family which had immigrated from Europe in the early 1930's to escape persecution. The close bonds they established led to visits to Petaluma by many Australian family members over decades. Helene and Izzie treasured these relationships.
Helene's life was profoundly, shaped by the Holocaust, in which many members of her parents' families perished. Her mental litmus test for friendship was "would this person save me?"
Helene was known for holding strong opinions. She was a union woman and never wavered. She sometimes carried grudges, but was intensely loyal to her family and friends. She strongly disliked raisins in cooking, southwestern art, and Lawrence Welk. She loved big earrings and fancy hats. She had a Great Dane named Damien whom she walked every day.
Helene suffered from slowly progressive dementia over her last decade. Nevertheless, she did weekly Jazzercise until she was 92 and did the daily Chronicle crossword puzzle until she was 95. Three or four years ago she was still able to recite Polonius' advice to Laertes by memory. She passed away October 3 at the age of 98 with her family at her side.
Helene is survived by her son, Lance (Judith); grandsons, Josh (Arielle) and Elliot (Erica); and her great-grandsons, Max and Ben.
A memorial will be held at Parent Sorenson Funeral Home on Thursday, October 9, at 11 a.m.