Helen Zele, 100, of Great Barrington

Helen Zele, 100, passed away peacefully Feb. 5, 2019, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington. She was born April 8, 1918, in Torrington, Connecticut, to Marcus and Antoinette Horansky. She moved to Great Barrington in June 1952 and worked for many years at Friendly’s Restaurant, the Cricket Restaurant and Kmart. Sharp and witty, she was a voracious reader, a quick solver of challenging crossword puzzles, and the family’s reigning “Jeopardy!” champion. She enjoyed sitting on her front porch on summer evenings taking visitors, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. On those same evenings, she loved hearing the latest good jokes, including the salty ones. She will be remembered for being tough as nails, fiercely independent and unboundedly generous. It was her generosity that started the many success stories in the large family for which she was matriarch.

Helen is survived by daughter Joanne Mallory and husband John of Great Barrington; son Mark Zele of Florida; grandchildren Mark Guidi, Julie Steuernagle, Claudine Mallory, Jeffrey Zele, Mark Zele, Daniel Zele and Matthew Zele; 11 great-grandchildren: Hannah, Allison, Emily, Georgette, Amber, Zachary, Emily Zele, Gabriel, Mackenzie, Sydney and Shiloh; sister in-law Muriel Horanski of Virginia; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Mark Zele; daughter Darlene Guidi; and granddaughter Nicole Guidi Brown.

In keeping with Helen’s wishes, the family will have a private burial in the spring. There will be no calling hours. Memorial contributions may be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires or Southern Berkshire Elderly Transportation in care of the BIRCHES-ROY FUNERAL HOME, 33 South St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Condolences may be made through birchesroyfuneralservices.com.