Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Wednesday, May 21
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Family»Happy Mother’s Day! Helen Fenessy Turns 104
    Family

    Happy Mother’s Day! Helen Fenessy Turns 104

    Steve ScheweBy Steve ScheweMay 8, 2021Updated:November 15, 20222 Mins Read
    Helen Fenessy

    As the band played “Sugarfoot Rag,” Eden Prairie’s Helen Fenessy celebrated with cake, coffee and a sing-along with her daughter and 20 residents of Prairie Bluffs Senior Living, 10300 Hennepin Town Road. The activities director sang Helen the Swedish version of “Happy Birthday.”

    But Helen’s not Swedish.

    Not Swedish.  Hungarian.

    Born in Philadelphia on April 29, 1917, Helen lived in eastern Pennsylvania for most of her life. She moved to Eden Prairie last August, according to her daughter, Stephanie Courtney. Helen’s parents were Hungarian immigrants. 

    “Before World War II, the Hungarian community in Philly and south Jersey used to gather socially to go horseback riding and dancing,” said Stephanie.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    “On one of these excursions, Helen met my dad Stephen.”

    After they married, Helen followed Stephen to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1943. where the U.S. Army trained recruits before they deployed overseas.

    Active, Loves the Outdoors

    “Helen didn’t like to sit around, so she advertised for work as a bookkeeper.  Helen used to say Hattiesburg was too warm, too damp, and had too many big cockroaches,” chuckled Stephanie.  The motel’s owner advised the young couple to shake out their shoes in the mornings.

    In the early 1960s, Helen and Stephen raised chickens in their spare time and Helen trained as a Girl Scout leader. 

    “Helen grew flowers and vegetables until she got tired of fighting the rabbits,” said Stephanie.

    Business Career

    “Helen loved numbers,” said Stephanie.  She managed the office at Jetzon Tire and Rubber Company north of Philadelphia, where she did accounting and bookkeeping, and she enjoyed working with the firm’s international clients. 

    In her retirement in nearby Chalfont, Helen got a ham radio license. Her call sign was KA3PLP.  In the days before texting, she used to chat with friends over the radio.  She loved to travel, and she made three trips to central Europe, looking for family roots in Hungary, as well as visiting Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

    The most difficult thing about her later years? “Helen has found it hard to outlive Stephen, her friends, and her neighbors,” said Stephanie. 

    “Like a lot of mothers and daughters, we haven’t always agreed on everything. But I love her, and I’ll always be here for her.”

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleEP Schools’ Dr. Stacie Stanley selected to lead Edina Public Schools
    Next Article Disappointed with EP council’s Pulte decision

    More to READ

    4 Mins Read

    Eden Prairie family braces for long hospital stay after teen son’s emergency brain surgery

    April 23, 2025
    8 Mins Read

    70 happy anniversaries for the Eden Prairie couple that has ‘Everything’

    April 16, 2025
    8 Mins Read

    Just Between Friends consignment sale moves to Hopkins Pavilion after a decade at Champions Hall

    April 8, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Eden Prairie High School program gives seniors a head start on careers

    May 21, 2025

    Shakopee man charged in Eden Prairie sexual assault of 15-year-old girl

    May 21, 2025

    EPHS synchronized swim team advances to state meet

    May 20, 2025

    Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

    May 20, 2025

    Former Eden Prairie man sentenced for posting nude images of woman online without her consent

    May 20, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.