Hela (Helen) E. Giese, of Whiting, New Jersey, passed away on Thursday, May 15, 2025, shortly before her 87th birthday. Born in Bremen, Germany, she was the only child of Marie and Gerhard. After her mother died in 1943, Helen lived with her grandparents, where she developed a love of nature in her grandfather’s garden. Helen immigrated to Ridgewood, Queens, New York with her father and adoptive mother, Friedel, in 1951. Following her high school graduation, Helen worked for Western Electric. She proudly became an American citizen at 19 years old.

Introduced on a blind date arranged by her best friend and his cousin, Helen married Frank Giese on October 15th, 1960. They bought a house in Garden City South in Long Island, New York where they raised two daughters. Upon retirement in 1998, Helen and Frank followed lifelong friends to Whiting. They were the first owners in the Meadows at Lake Ridge adult community. Helen enjoyed traveling in the United States and other countries and planned vacations to new places every year. At home, Helen often expressed her love for her family and friends through food. She baked delicious cookies, candy and cakes which her grandchildren always looked forward to receiving.

Helen will be dearly missed by her devoted husband of 64 years, Frank, her daughters, Karen Maddock, and Lynn Macagnano and her husband, Robert, and 6 grandchildren, Izzie, Eric, Meaghan, Willow, Tabitha, and Athena. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to a memorial service to be held Wednesday, May 28th at 11:30 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 40 Schoolhouse Road, Whiting, NJ 08759. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made in Helen’s memory to Christ Lutheran Church or the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.