Helen Zenia (Zarowska) Spandlick died peacefully in her sleep on November 22, 2025, just short of her 95th birthday, in Toronto, the city where her life both began and ultimately came full circle.

Helen was born in Toronto, Canada on January 21, 1931, to Mike and Anna Zaworski who had immigrated from Poland. By 1938 The Depression had set into their lives, and they decided to return to Poland. During the Second World War, Helen and her family were forcibly displaced to labour camps. Helen and her mother were the only survivors of brutal conditions and a long, perilous journey through the Middle East to refugee settlements. They ultimately found refuge in a Polish settlement camp in Masindi, Uganda for six years before returning to Canada in 1948.

In Toronto, Helen met Joseph Spandlick. They married on November 25, 1950, and raised their three children in the High Park neighbourhood, spending summers at their cherished Georgian Bay cottage. Helen nurtured in her family a lifelong curiosity for art, history, and culture, sharing that passion on countless museum and gallery visits.

After Joseph, her devoted husband of 46 years, died in 1996, Helen embraced her love of travel, eventually visiting more than 42 countries. She remained engaged in her community, including through her long membership in the Marie Curie Skłodowska Scholarship Chapter in Toronto. Helen was also grateful to support the restoration of the Masindi church built by Polish refugees, and to Copernicus Lodge which she called home for the past five years.

She will be profoundly missed by her children Susan Pregibon (Daryl), Edward (Ann), and Richard (Eithne); her granddaughters Natalie Dabney (Michael) and Katrina Holtgrewe (Mike); and her beloved great-granddaughters Emilia, Reagan, and Phoebe.

May the Lord keep her in the palm of His hand.