Passed away, peacefully, at the Guelph General Hospital on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. Helga (nee Gortzel) MacKay, age 81, was the life companion of Bernie Carpino. She was the dear mother of Sue MacKay, Ava Leblanc (Gary), the late Nancy Hadfield (late Jim), Tom MacKay (Kathy), Mike MacKay (Rebecca Hine-MacKay), Scott MacKay (Rita), Renata McConnell (Blair) and Cory MacKay (Lisa).
Helga is remembered by grandchildren Kendra (Jamie), Brian (Melissa), Tawnya (Tommy), Sara, Ashley (late Charlie), Heather (Michael), David (Courtney), Ammie (Mark), Amanda (Phimm), Andrew, Lyndsay, Stephen, Sophie, Ava, Morgan, Brayden, Kyla, Brooks, Aidan, Keyara, Curtis and Kayla, and by great-grandchildren Rhiannon, Linnaea, Ozrik, Branden, Riley, Ben, Henry, Morgan, Isabella, Emma, Terrell and Destiny. Helga is survived by siblings Renate Zywicki (Dieter), Marleis Gehrke and Reiner Gortzel. She was predeceased by her parents Bruno and Dora Gortzel.
Friends were invited to meet with the family at the Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, Dublin Chapel, 252 Dublin St. N., Guelph, on Saturday, June 3, 2017 from 12 2 p.m. A Memorial Service followed in the funeral home chapel at 2 p.m. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be appreciated by the family. Cards are available at the funeral home (519-822-4731) and condolences may be sent at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com