Obituary of Helen A. Bunal

Helen Buczek Bunal, of Floyd, went to join her beloved husband, Joseph, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ on Friday, December 12, 2014. Helen was born on July 3, 1920 in Passaic, NJ. She was the eldest of 13 children to the late Frank and Anna Karcz Buczek. She moved with her family to Floyd when she was eight years old, where she helped her mother with the children and housework and helped her father with the farm and barn chores. She was like a mother to her siblings. She was educated in the Holland Patent Central School system. On June 29, 1940, she married the love of her life, Joseph Bunal, in Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in Rome. They lived in Rome for two years before buying a farm in Floyd. Joe and Helen worked side by side raising their children while building their farm. They taught their children a strong faith in God and Jesus Christ, the value of hard work, integrity and humor. The farm had a setback when they suffered a fire in 1959. With their usual hard work, they rebuilt the Bunal Farm, which is now being run by their son, grandson, and great grandson, which is in its fourth generation of operation. It was after the fire that Helen started working in the Holland Patent Central School cafeteria. She retired in 1978 after working her way up to head cashier. She thoroughly enjoyed the contact with the students. She and Joe enjoyed wintering in Brooksville, FL, where they made many wonderful friends. Joe passed away on November 25, 1994. Babci, as she was known to many, was well known for her cooking and baking, which she loved to share with many. She was also a member of the Altar Rosary Society at Transfiguration. Helen is survived by two daughters and a son in law, Emily Parkin of Niceville, FL, and Carol and Norman Gargash of Floyd; a son and daughter in law, Eugene and Edna Bunal of Floyd; five grandchildren, Russell and Sheila Bunal, Judy Bunal, Sandy and Bill Paddock, Scott and Jill Gargash, and Tim and Kirsten Gargash; eight great grandchildren, Darryl and Rachel Bunal, Joseph, Toby, Maverik, and Skylar Gargash, and Rayne and Hailey Paddock; a sister, Mary Malinowski of Lee Center; eight brothers and six sisters in law, Joseph Buczek, John and Katherine Buczek, Teddy and Glenda Buczek, Stanley and Beverly Buczek, Eugene and Sue Buczek, Richard Buczek, Mike and Sandy Buczek and Carl and Linda Buczek, brothers in law and sisters in law, Cecil and Ceil Bunal, Andrew and Janice Bunal, and Klara Czerski; and a ton of nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a son in law, Bond Parkin, and three brothers, Casimir, Walter and Edward Buczek. Funeral services will be held from the Barry Funeral Home, 807 W. Chestnut Street, on Wednesday at 10 AM and a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Church, with Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio officiating. Burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery in the spring. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 3 to 7 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider the American Heart Association, Hospice and Palliative Care, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or a charity of your choice. The family would like to thank the angels from Hospice, specifically Cheryl P., Laurie, and Nadine. Her children would also like to thank their Uncle Teddy for bringing her the Eucharist, and a very special thanks to Sheila for her unending care and love of Babci.