Helen Frances Macys

HELEN FRANCES MACYS
A LIFE TO BE CELEBRATED
1933-2026
Helen Macys was deceased on May 14, 2026. She was the beloved wife of Albert Macys with whom she had been married for over seventy-one years.

Born in Philadelphia to Mabel and Ted Hissey, Helen spent her early years taking piano lessons and attending Frankford Congregational Church where she met Al on a hayride.

Her piano talent led to acceptance at the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music to pursue a career in piano performance; instead, Helen gave up that acceptance to become a teacher with a math major, her real desire, and graduated from Penn State in 1953. She and Al were married in August of 1954 to begin their long and storied life.

Helen and Al bought a home in Plymouth Meeting, PA, where Helen taught elementary school until they started their family. In the early 70's Al was transferred to the California Bay Area. While living in Monte Serena she taught preschool and joined three major chorale groups. Helen also became a huge San Francisco Giants fan. She and Al had season tickets and attended many games. They were at Candlestick Park when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit and at the 2010 World Series that the Giants won.

In the early 2000's they moved to the Four Seasons community in El Dorado County to be near their grandchildren. Attendance at Giants baseball games continued for another ten years. Concert tours by the choral groups took them to ten countries. While at Four Seasons Helen and Al sang with the Notables for ten years and wrote stories for the monthly newsletters. As members of the Foothills United Methodist Church in Rescue, they sang with the choir for twelve years.

Helen was a woman of many talents that included an exceptional soprano voice, a talented high school pianist, an author of short stories, a singer and soloist with three major chorales and choirs, a highly regarded elementary school and special needs teacher, an active advocate for the rights of handicapped children, a member of the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children, and a wonderful mother of three exceptional children — Sandy, Sue and Rob.

She was pre-deceased by her brother, Ted, and her daughter, Susan. Helen is survived by her husband, Albert, her children Sandra and Rob, and grandchildren Alec and Lara.

A Celebration of Her Life is Planned For:
Tuesday, July 21 at 2:00 PM
Foothills United Methodist Church
3301 Green Valley Rd.
Rescue, CA 95672

Bring happy memories to share. We will have stories, recorded solos of Helen, and a myriad of photos taken during her long and full life.