Obituary of Helen Charlotte Mari

Carmel- Helen Charlotte Mari, age 97, peacefully passed away on September 19, 2013, in the house her husband James (Jim) Mari built for her on the Big Sur Coast, overlooking the great Pacific Ocean. Helen was born August 7th, 1916 in Astoria, New York to Thomas F. and Charlotte V. Woods and was one of three children. She is predeceased by her two brothers Thomas and Harold Woods. As a young girl, Helen spent many of her summers on Long Island helping her aunt who ran an institute for the blind. Helen worked with both young girls and women, and as she told us many times she valued her time and efforts on their behalf. As a young woman, Helen met the love-of-her-life and the man she was married to for 74 years, James D. Mari. Helen and Jim were a 'Power Team' before the term was even coined, and built an extremely successful construction company - Mari Excavating, in Chester, New York. She ran the business end of the company and was a phenomenal bookkeeper. Helen loved to travel, ski, snowshoe, walk and tend her flowers. She was a voracious reader and had bookshelves full of her favorite books, non-fiction and fiction alike. Helen is preceded in death by her husband Jim, who died in 2008, and their eldest daughter, Helen Kronkhyte-Banks who died in March 2006. She leaves her daughter Diane Westerveld of Chester, N.Y.; and her son Robert D. Mari and daughter-in-Law, Wendy of the Monterey Peninsula, CA. Helen also leaves six grandchildren who all loved her and loved being with her: Robert Kronkhyte and wife Wendy of Tahoe City, CA; Mickey Wright and wife Sally of Ossining, N.Y.; Corey Kronkhyte of San Jose, CA; Kim (Kronkhyte) Bonino and husband Brad of Lincoln, CA; Bonnie Wright and husband Ken Kovach of Warwick, N.Y., and Jay Westerveld and wife Holly of Sugar Loaf, N.Y. Helen also leaves four great-grandchildren: Scott Schleiff, Alyssa and Trystyn Wright and Angelo Bonino, and a great-great-grandson: Caleb Jon Wright. The services for Helen C. Mari are scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, 2013, 10 am in the Santa Rosalia Chapel within San Carlos Cemetery in Monterey, CA. Donations may be made to Big Sur Fire Brigade, Big Sur, CA, the SPCA of the Monterey County, CA or the charity of one's choice in lieu of flowers.