Helena Sali

Mass of Christian Burial for Helena Sali, 101, who passed away Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston will be held 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 29 at the Basilica of Saint John. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will follow in the Glendale Cemetery. Mrs. Sali was born in Stanislawow, Poland in February 1913. Helena was raised by an older sister after her mother passed away when she was a child until she married Walerian Sali also of Stanislawow, Poland on August 31, 1939, one day before the start of WWII. After the war they lived in a displaced persons camp in Germany until they emigrated to Arkansas and finally settled in Des Moines around 1950. Helena was an accomplished seamstress and spent many years working for Bob Jones in downtown Des Moines. Although never blessed with children, she loved them and was a godmother to many in the community. Helena was a remarkable woman with a kind heart and espoused a charismatic personality that endeared her to all that knew her. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walerian. Memorial contributions may be made to Mercy Hospice in Johnston or to the Basilica of Saint John.