Helen F Szepan

Helen Elizabeth (Fortuna) Szepan, 97, passed away on November 9, 2023 surrounded by peace at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry Frank Szepan, her son, Robert Edward Szepan, and brothers Stanley Fortuna, Edward Fortuna and Louis Fortuna. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Szepan Slane of Nashua, and her grandson, John Robert Slane, of Williston, VT.

Born on February 24, 1926 to Adam and Elizabeth (Urbanik) Fortuna, both immigrants from Poland (Galicia) who arrived in the early 1900s, Helen was the youngest of four by nine years. Her roots were deeply woven into Manchester where she grew up in the Fortuna Apartments built by her father. Helen attended Manchester schools including Central High School and was a member of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. She married Henry Szepan in 1948 and continued to live there until 1970 with their two children, Robert and Susan. In 1969 they embarked on a new chapter, purchasing an acre of land in Bedford and built a custom home on a hilltop overlooking Manchester. This was their sanctuary to live out a quiet life together, inseparable, tending to their home, occasionally travelling with her youngest brother Louis and his wife Louise. After Henry’s passing in 2008, steadfast and determined, Helen continued to live on her own there until age 96. Neighbors remember Helen’s independence and endurance, always smiling with a story to tell. Helen was full of surprises in her younger days. She graduated from Colby-Sawyer Junior College in New London, NH in 1946 where she was known as “Helena”, never to be used again. When asked why, she just said, “too many Helens”. An aviation class attendee, her recently discovered flight log from a single roundtrip journey between New London and Concord revealed a dimension of her adventurous past.

Throughout her life, Helen weathered profound family losses, enduring the passing of her father and a brother before her 16th birthday and the devastating loss of her only son in 1972 at the age of 22. A trailblazer in her own right, she was a working mother, managing the Fortuna Apartments during the late sixties through the 1980s. In an era predating computers, she diligently called their stock broker daily for closing stock prices. She and Henry attended numerous "Money Shows"; across the nation, engaging with presenters and navigating the financial landscape adeptly.

Helen saw much of the U.S. during family summer car trips. She meticulously planned two 3-week family European vacations, first in 1965, traveling to eight countries including a visit behind the Iron Curtain, then again in 1967 to visit seven more European countries, including the U.S.S.R. (Leningrad). How she packed countless souvenirs purchased in every country visited remains a mystery. Every Christmas Eve until Henry’s passing, Helen loved preparing the traditional Polish supper, Wigila, making mushroom borscht, pierogi and nalesniki from scratch. The customary fish was not on the menu. She despised fish.

Helen had a penchant for buying the latest new product, whether it was a new kitchen gadget or some tool she spotted in a catalog or on QVC, promising to make life easier. The same went for newly- introduced snack foods.

Quick with a compliment and unfailingly supportive, Helen was there to offer words of encouragement to all those she cared about and to lend a helping hand. She had a sense of humor with one-liners, even while in Assisted Living at Langdon Place in Nashua as her health declined. She never thought she was old.

Mowing the lawn was truly one of Helen’s favorite activities to do. She was forced to stop at 87 after a severely broken ankle. She learned how to text on an iPad at 88. Helen enjoyed snipping articles and sharing them with her daughter. Friday was always hair salon day. She never threw anything away. Repeat, she never threw anything away.

Her beautiful gray-blue eyes would sparkle when you surprised her with flowers or some sweet treat. She loved animals, particularly cats, and nature, and was a regular donor to animal causes, the NH Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy, among others. Avoiding doctors after the early 1970s, it was only when she was 93 that she had a primary care physician, and not of her own volition. Another example of Helen living life on her terms.

Given her unbreakable bond with her husband, it is fitting that their ashes will be co-mingled for burial to spend eternal peace together. A service in celebration of Helen and Henry’s lives will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, 166 Pearl St, Manchester, NH on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 11:00 am. Memorial donations can be made in Helen’s name to Community Hospice House, 210 Naticook Road, Merrimack, NH 03054 or to the Animal Rescue League of NH, 545 Horace Greely Hwy, Bedford, NH 03110.

Helen’s online obituary can be found at www.durningbykowskiandyoung.com/obits