Helga H Dronzek

MIDDLETON - Helga H. Dronzek, age 89, of Middleton, passed away on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, at Attic Angel. Helga was born on Sept. 25, 1930, in Sächsisch-Regen, Romania, to Hermine and Traugott Keller. Helga and her family were evacuated from their hometown during WWII. She was taken to Czechoslovakia with other children before rejoining her family at a refugee camp in Vöcklabruck, Austria. After the war the family settled in Vöcklabruck. Helga attended photography school at the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photographie in Munich, where she met her husband, Werner. Following graduation, Helga worked as a surgical photographer at Chirurgische Universitäts-Klinik, a teaching hospital in Erlangen, Germany. Helga and Werner married and then immigrated to the U.S., living in Peoria, Ill., where they both worked for a photography studio. They settled in Moline, Ill., where Werner applied his photography skills at Deere and Company. Helga was a swimming and aquatic exercise instructor at the Moline YMCA for 20 years. Her students still credit her for their swimming skills! Helga and Werner loved nature, hiking, road trips, picnics and travelling to favorite destinations such as Germany and Austria to visit family, Rocky Mountain National Park and Door County, Wis. Helga enjoyed cooking and gardening. She was known for her fabulous meals and passed on her love of cooking to her son and grandson. Helga loved classical music, reading and in her later years, enjoyed researching and communicating on her iPad. She spent her last years at Attic Angel in Middleton, Wis., where she was wasn’t shy to occasionally take over the chair exercise class to the delight of her fellow residents. Helga is survived by her son, Rainer Dronzek (Nancy); grandson, John Dronzek; niece, Dietlind Pedarnig (Florian); and nephew, Hartwin Keller (Christine). She was preceded in death by husband, Werner; and brother, Helmut. A special thank you to the Attic Angel Households staff and Dr. Arpad Olajos and staff for their loving and compassionate care. A celebration of life will be held at ATTIC ANGEL PLACE, 8301 Old Sauk Road, Middleton, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. A short graveside service will be held at Moline Memorial Park in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Sansum Diabetes Research Institute or The Prairie Enthusiasts. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson West Funeral & Cremation Care 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761