Helen Babb
Oct. 12, 1936-Oct. 18, 2025
Portola Valley, California

Helen Babb of Portola Valley, California—a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, gardener, artist, and world traveler—passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025, at the age of 89 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Born in Místek, Czechoslovakia (a small Moravian town near today’s Czech-Polish border), Helen and her parents, Dr. Ernest Weys and Zdenka Reinelt Weys, escaped the Nazi occupation in 1939. They first lived in Manila until, by a stroke of grace, one of the ships departing the Philippines needed a doctor, and Helen’s father was able to secure passage for the family to the United States in 1941. During the remaining war years, the family lived first in Colorado Springs and then later in California, where Dr. Weys served as the physician for the local logging community in the Lake Almanor area. Helen’s parents became naturalized citizens in 1948, and under the law at the time, she became a U.S. citizen automatically.

After the war, the family relocated to Stockton, California, where Helen graduated from St. Mary's High School and went on to study art at Stanford University. There she met Dr. Richard Rankin “Dick” Babb; they married in 1958, the year of her graduation. Raising three children, Helen embraced a life of mobility—moving 11 times across the country while Dick pursued his medical training, including two years of service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

In 1967 the family settled in Atherton, California, when Dick joined the Palo Alto Medical Clinic. Helen remained a dedicated visual artist, painting canvases—several of which she sold. She developed a passion for needlework, teaching both beginners and advanced students the art of needlepoint. A devotee of the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, she frequently enjoyed performances across the Bay Area.

Helen was a voracious reader, with mysteries her favorite. She also loved to play games of all kinds, from tennis to bridge to LIFE with her children and grandchildren.

Helen’s parents were avid travelers who inspired her lifelong sense of wanderlust. Over her life she made major journeys to Mexico, China, England, India, Italy, and beyond. An ardent Francophile, she returned to France many times and embraced its culture wholeheartedly—especially its cuisine, as she loved to cook.

A lifelong volunteer, Helen held leadership positions in the Peninsula Volunteers, the Menlo Circus Club, and the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club. Gardening was a true passion: she worked alongside her mother (an excellent gardener) throughout her life, and drew inspiration from her uncle, who trained in the royal gardens of Europe and later became a noted horticulturalist.

Helen joined the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club as a provisional in 1989 and remained active until the onset of her illness. Over the years she served in nearly every role—including Secretary, Vice President of Provisionals, and Horticulture Chair. She was active at both the Zone and National levels. In 2007 she received the Edith McDonald Chamberlain Award, given to a member whose consistent service, integrity, and contribution have had a positive and lasting effect on the Club.

Helen is survived by her husband, Dick; daughter Liz (Angelo); son Andy; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She was predeceased by her parents and her son Peter.