Helen Boyum

July 11, 1933 - July 4, 2016

Helen Boyum, 83, passed away on the night of July 4, 2016. She was “FINE!” a couple nights before, but evidently she wanted the entire country to celebrate her with a bang each and every year. Helen was born "Portuguese stubborn" on July 11,1933 in Oakland, CA. Before all the grandkids and gray hair, she was a spunky lady who enjoyed dancing and getting attention from all the men. It’s true, she once told her granddaughter that you always need a front door and back door, so when one’s coming in the front, you can send the other out the back. She married the wrong man, had three wonderful kids, busted her behind raising them, and found Mr. Right somewhere along the way. But most have no idea who the hell this Helen person is, as she was "Mom" or "Vov" to almost everyone. Known for borderline force feeding anyone who stepped into the house, saying hilariously inappropriate things like 69 was her favorite position while her grandkids were singing her "Happy Birthday", refusing to get with the times by being politically correct and instead referring to her super nice neighbors as "Orientals", for always putting others first, and having a heart of gold. She was a sweet old lady or a feisty smartass with no filter, not much in between, but loved by everyone nonetheless. Now she’s up in heaven raising hell with her husband, Jim; sons, Rick and Bob; granddaughter, Brandy; BFF, Rose; as well as many siblings, relatives, and friends. She left behind a crazy family that she was very proud of: her daughter, Tina; brothers, Gil and Joe; sister, Joanne; and a gaggle of grandkids and great grandkids. She also left behind a ton of stuff, well maybe not a full on ton, but easily a couple hundred pounds of clothes and jewelry, half with the tags still attached. And you can’t forget her beloved, run-down, piece-of-crap, doublewide trailer in Clear Lake (it’s free to a good home if you can get the tweakers out of there), she had to keep it so she could threaten to move up there when you pissed her off. In all seriousness, Helen was a great woman, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, auntie, and friend. She will be sorely missed and all who loved her dearly will never forget her humor, wit, charm, grace, undying love and the care she took of them. A private Celebration of Life will be held on August 14th in lieu of a traditional service.