Helen Marie Kanick

Obituary Helen Kanick Helen Pakusich Kanick passed away peacefully on the morning of August 28, 2014 at Merrill Gardens in Tacoma. She was born on March 18, 1919 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma to Angelo and Lucia Pakusich. She had one older brother, Vincent. Helen attended St. Patrick School and Aquinas Academy. She spent her professional years working in the offices of Fuller Insurance Company. In 1958, she married widower Albert G. Kanick and the couple made their home in North Tacoma with his three children. Their son, George, was born in 1959. Al and Helen shared many community and church involvements, as well as being enthusiastic golfers and gardeners, throughout their 46 years of marriage. Helen was a lifelong member of St. Patrick Church, devout in worship and devoted in service. For 25 years, she arranged the altar flowers and prepared the First Friday Senior Citizen Luncheons. She was a Eucharistic minister, taking communion to homebound parishioners, and served with the Altar Society. She was an active member of Catholic Woman's Club for many years. Helen was very proud of her Croatian heritage and was a lifetime member of the Slavonian American Benevolent Society, participating in its social events and working on the annual Daffodil Dinner for many years. She was a member of Fircrest Golf Club for 50 years and loved playing with the 9-Hole Ladies' Group on Thursday mornings. Every organization to which Helen belonged benefited from her warm conviviality, her dedication and energy, and her terrific cooking. Helen enjoyed her many friends and loved her family dearly. She was a devoted mother and grandmother. Among her surviving family are sons, George Kanick (Anna-Lisa) and John Kanick (Judy); and their children and grandchildren. Our heartfelt thanks to the staff of Merrill Gardens for their excellent and gracious care over the past three years. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 10:00am at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1001 North J Street, Tacoma, WA 98403. A Rosary will be recited on Friday, September 5, 2014 at 7:00pm at Gaffney Funeral Home Chapel. Entombment at Calvary Cloisters. Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneycares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003.