Helen Menhardt of Richboro died Thursday July 4, 2013 at Abington Hospice in Warminster surrounded by her loving family. She was 82.

Helen was the beloved wife of 56 years to the late Julius Menhardt Jr.

Helen was born in Kaisersdorf, Galicia now known as Poland. She was the daughter of the late Jacob and Ludwiga Musiala Koestel and sister of the late Leopold Koestel.

In 1939, the German Commission relocated her parents and family to Germany and eventually they were placed in a camp in Schrimm near Posen in the Warthegau. In Warthegau, Helen attended elementary and middle school until they fled to Chemnitz in Saxony. In 1946, Helen moved to Marbach am Neckar Wurttemberg and attended the Women’s Work School (Frauen Arbeitsschule) in Ludwigsburg and she worked part time, including working for a farmer, in order to obtain ration cards. Helen had also worked in Stuttgart as a seamstress until her emigration to America in 1953.

Helen was a former resident of Huntingdon Valley before moving to Richboro.

Helen was known for her love of entertaining and baking, especially at Christmas. The generosity of her baking was appreciated by many.

Helen is survived by her children, Heidi M. and William Ryder of Warminster, Kurt J. and Linda Menhardt of Ambler and Werner J. Menhardt and Lisa Fenton of Doylestown. She is also survived by her sister Friedel Grohmann of Marbach am Neckar in Germany and her 10 cherished grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing from 9:00am until her Funeral Service 10:00am on Wednesday, July 10th in the Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Road (at Holland Rd.) Richboro.

Interment will follow in Forest Hills Cemetery in Philadelphia.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the follow organizations, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 14100 Worthington Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 or the Abington Hospice at Warminster, 225 Newtown Road, Warminster, PA 18974 or the United German Hungarian Club, 4666 Bristol Road, Oakford, PA 19053.