Helene Richter Handelman, 86, of Boynton Beach, FL, passed away on Friday, December 20, 2024. Her loving family was by her side. Helene is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, Murry Handelman, and their daughters, Cindy Handelman Shaw, Beth Handelman Maffei, and son-in-law, Mike Maffei. Also left to cherish her memory are her grandchildren, Jonathan Shaw, Carli Shaw Kralick (Dave Kralick), Alex Bashkofff, and Rebecca Bashkoff.  Helene became a great-grandmother in January of this year when her first great-grandchild, Jordi Kralick, was born.  Helene was predeceased in death by her dear parents, Gertrude and Morris Richter, and her brother, Stan Richter.

Helene was born on April 12, 1938, in Bronx, New York. She attended Lafayette High School and worked at Metropolitan Life before meeting the love of her life, Murry, on a blind date in 1960.  The two married on December 10, 1961.  Helene and Murry moved to Long Island in 1968, where they raised a beautiful, loving family and formed many close, life-long friendships. In 2000, they moved to Boynton Beach, FL.  A few weeks ago, Murry and Helene celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Helene was nurturing and sweet. She was a wife, a mother, and grandmother. She was known for her playfulness, sense of humor, and absolutely magnificent smile. You could always find her reading, completing word search puzzles, chuckling at the Sunday comics, watching murder mysteries, and listening, singing, and dancing to music from the 50s to the 90s.

Helene's beautiful spirit will be missed by all who loved her so, but we will continue to feel her love and presence forever.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to Trees for the Holy Land, an organization that plants memorial trees in the Holy Land of Israel, or any charity that focuses on Alzheimer's research.