Helen M. Vlkovic

Helen Vlkovic, affectionately known as “Granny” to her grandchildren, was a beloved matriarch and cherished wife, sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She passed away on July 2nd, 2026, at her home in Iselin, New Jersey, in her 91st year, surrounded by her loving children. A private funeral service was held on July 8.

Born on July 17th, 1935, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Harold and Helen McKenna, Helen lived over nine incredible decades defined by love, kindness, and an unwavering devotion to her family. She married the love of her life, Joseph, after the two met at the ice cream parlor where she worked in high school, serving root beer floats, one of her lifelong favorite treats.

They were married on March 2nd, 1957 and shared a wonderful life together, until Joseph’s passing in 1995. Together they raised four children: Lisa (Joseph), Marybeth (Mark), Jody (Hugh), and Michael (Sue). As their family grew, Helen welcomed their spouses with open arms, loving and treating each of them as her own children. She was the devoted grandmother of nine grandchildren: Adam (Meredith), Parke (Dylan), Haley (Patrick), Kira, Julia, Lara, Sean, Ally, and Paul, and proud great-grandmother of Mia, all of whom she loved dearly. 

Helen was known for her delicious nut bread, a beloved holiday tradition she shared with her children and grandchildren, her love of horror films, her extraordinary appreciation of Starbucks chai lattes, her encyclopedic knowledge of Seinfeld, and her incredible wit and sense of humor. She also had a deep love of Wildwood Crest, where she and her family created countless wonderful memories together at the beach, Cape May, and along the boardwalk. 

During her years as a teacher at the Cittone Institute in Edison, Helen touched the lives of many students, making an impact far beyond the classroom through her kindness and generosity of spirit, creating an inclusive environment that brought students of all backgrounds to her desk for a chat.

That kindness and generosity were truly felt by all who met her. It extended to the many workers of her favorite coffee shops, whom she would give Christmas gifts to every year, and to her family, who would always end up with a gift in their hands that she had picked up during one of her many shopping trips.

Helen is survived and forever loved by her children, grandchildren, great-granddaughter, her brother Harold (Rose), numerous nieces and nephews, and the countless other friends and loved ones whose lives she impacted and influenced over the years.

Helen’s family would like to close her obituary with a poem written by her granddaughter Kira.

When You Die

When you die, will I
fold up your beige sheets
and tuck them away like secrets,
or will I bury my face 
in your downy pillows,
my head turned like yours,
just so towards the window?
Perhaps I’ll sit alone 
at the pockmarked dining table
and heat up every frozen meal
you thought you would
have time to make,
cardboard fish sticks
and pudding with skin
an inch thick.  Will I
look in your closets
and find sequined dresses 
that breathe mothballs,
letters from old lovers
in red ink, or chubby hands 
and blue eyes in childhood
pictures too candid
to be framed on walls?
How long should I wait
before mowing your lawn?
Or shall I let it grow in your absence,
a rainforest of dandelions
and weeping forget-me-nots?
Will Billie Holiday play 
at your funeral? Her wide voice
wavering I’ll be seeing you,
In all the old familiar places
over the headstones?

- Kira Hunter

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in her name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Smile Train, or Saint Helena’s Church in Edison, NJ.