The Family of Josef Kaisler 1782-1852:Information about Helen Cingalek
Helen Cingalek (b. January 20, 1911, d. September 13, 1975)
Notes for Helen Cingalek:
Helen was a member of the Racine Czech community and a member of St. John Nepomuk church. Her parents were Czech immigrants. Her mother all through her life preferred to use the Czech Language.
Helen was really an only child. She had a sister who died at a very young age.
Her parents ran a small corner grocery store at the corner of English Street
and St. Clair Street. The living quarters were in the back of the store. Under these conditions the store was opened almost continuously from early morning to late at night. The only recreation the family had was to close the store every Sunday afternoon and take a ride in their automobile.
Helen was educated at St. John's school.
Helen met her husband Rudolph Kaisler though church and Czech Sokol activities.
They were married on August 23, 1930 when Helen was 19 years old. At the time of her marriage Helen was not employed and was living with her parents in their home at 1841 St. Clair Street in Racine. They were married at St. John's church and had a huge Czech reception at High Street Hall.
After marriage the couple lived at 623 English Street in a house that was owned by Helen's parents. The house was adjacent to the house and store building occupied by Helen's parents.
After marriage and for several years, Helen worked as a sales clerk at the Lerner Store in down town Racine. In those days she worked long hours such as 8 AM To 6 PM daily and 8 AM to 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Helen worked until her first and only child Sandra was born in 1939. After that she only worked infrequently as a cateress.
One interesting thing about Helen was that she liked to smoke but through out her life she would never smoke in front of her mother because her mother disapproved of smoking.
Helen did enjoy cooking and baking.
She also enjoyed her home and furnishing it. She enjoyed collection old but small antiques especially of Czech origin.
She was close to other members of the Kaisler family especially Jerome and Ethel Kaisler and Jerome and Virginia Kaisler.
Illness - cancer of the pancreas - struck her down in 1973 at the age of 62. She went through two difficult years of surgery and chemotherapy. Nothing seemed to help and she died in 1975 at the age of 64. She had a funeral mass at St. John's church and was buried in Holy Cross cemetery.
She and Rudolph remained staunch Catholics through out their entire life.
More About Helen Cingalek and Rudolph Kaisler:
Death of one spouse: September 13, 1975, Racine, Wiscosin.
Marriage: August 23, 1930, Racine, Wisconsin.
Children of Helen Cingalek and Rudolph Kaisler are: