Helen Grima

Helen Hart Grima of Warren and Hudson, Ohio, passed away on Monday, March 8, 2021, at the age of 97. She is preceded in death by her husband, John Grima MD, and survived by her five children, John Grima (Sunee), JoAnn Grima MacKenzie (Louis), Kathleen Grima, Michael Grima, and Suzanne Grima Westlake (Paul), as well as her nine grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Helen was born on December 2, 1923, in Kingston, Pennsylvania, to William and Kathleen Hart (Handley). During her senior year of high school, following the untimely deaths of both parents, she moved to Warren with her brother, Billy, to reside with her aunt and uncle, Mark and Mary Williams, and their two children. She graduated from Warren G. Harding high school and then attended Saint Elizabeth’s School of Nursing in Youngstown, graduating in 1944.

Helen and John met at Saint Elizabeth’s when he was a resident and she a student nurse. As they told the story, the relationship began one weekend when she asked him for a ride home to Warren, where he also lived. After that he was totally smitten. They married in 1945 and lived in Augusta, Georgia; Warren; and Pittsburgh as John completed military service and trained as a surgeon. They then returned permanently to Warren and lived there until moving to the Laurel Lake retirement community in Hudson in 2007.

She was a wonderful mother, homemaker, and partner in the community aspects of John’s medical practice. Along with her family, Helen treasured her friendships, many of which went back to her senior year at Harding. Her book club, Tuesday golf, a succession of bridge clubs, and the “birthday girls” were sources of joy and great memories. She was also active in her community, a member and officer in the St. Joseph’s Medical Auxiliary, a thirty-plus year volunteer for Meals on Wheels, and a member of the Trumbull County Mental Health Board. 

She was incredibly resilient and perseverant in the face of tragedy and lived her life guided by generosity and optimism. She was especially grateful to the people who cared for her and her husband at Laurel Lake and to the people at Hopewell in Middlefield, Ohio, and the positive impact they had on her family. 

Her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all those who had the pleasure of knowing her will miss her deeply.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Helen’s memory to Hopewell 9637 OH-534, Middlefield, OH 44062.

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