SHADY DELL OWNER
HELEN ETTLINE
DIED FEBRUARY 25, 1984,
35 YEARS AGO TODAY.
Whenever I hear this song, it reminds me
of a very special person, the first lady
of the Shady Dell... Helen Ettline.
Unforgettable, Helen...
That's what you are!
We love you and miss you.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteAhhh, how sweet! It's so nice that Helen holds such a warm spot in your heart, as well as all the Dell Rats. Time passes so fast, doesn't it? Fabulous song to honor her memory. Have a nice week, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThank you very much for being the early bird this time, dear friend!
It boggles my mind to think that Helen has been gone 35 years. I will never forget the day in mid March, 1984, when I drove up to the Dell to say goodbye to John and Helen as I prepared to move to Florida. I discovered John alone in the snack bar and was stunned when he told me Helen had passed away a few weeks earlier.
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment as we mark the 35th anniversary of Helen's death, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
DeleteAhhh, that had to be such a hard blow for you to get the mews like that! Helen had a good life filled with a lot of love. What more can a person hope to leave behind when they finally cross over? It just goes to show how we don't know how our lives will touch another. I'm gald that you have such fond memories of those days in the Dell with two very special people. RIP, Mrs. Ettline!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteHow sweet of you to return to expand our thread. Thank you! You expressed yourself beautifully here, dear friend.
You're right. It was a terrible blow when John broke the mews about Helen. I didn't know what to say to him. I stood there speechless and ashamed that I went up to the Dell w/o that prior knowledge. That was the last time I ever saw John, too, another sad realization at a time like this.
Thank you again for your return visit and comment, dear friend Cathy!
She made a big impact on so many people. Keep her alive in your heart.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteWill do, good buddy. The Coles' virtual duet says it all: Helen Ettline is "unforgettable," and I intend to keep memories of her, John, Margaret Schneider and the Shady Dell alive here at Shady's Place.
Thanks for being here, good buddy Alex, and have a great week!
:) Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteThank you, cat!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you being here again this year on the anniversary of Helen's death.
I hope your week is off to a great start, dear friend cat!
There are those people who will always stay in our hearts and mind, no matter the years that have passed.
ReplyDeleteHi, Arleen!
DeleteHow are you, dear friend? Thank you very much for being here for the first time to help me observe the February 25 anniversary of Shady Dell owner Helen Ettline's death.
It's true. Helen's cheerful personality, even temperament and positive influence have stayed with me all these years, and I will continue to learn from her example the rest of my life.
Thanks again for coming over today, dear friend Arleen. Have a wonderful week!
Always love to hear this "duet".
ReplyDeleteI just marked the three year anniversary of my sister's death, one who is unforgettable to me, as well.
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteThank you very much for coming by as I work my way through the early months on the calendar, the months that contain all six birth and death anniversaries of Shady Dell VIPs John and Helen Ettline and Margaret Schneider.
I remember you telling me a while back that you lost a sibling along the way. I didn't realize your sister's death occurred so recently. Again, I am terribly sorry for your loss, Kelly.
I'm glad you enjoyed Nat and daughter Natalie Cole performing that virtual duet, easily one of the most magical moments in entertainment history.
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend Kelly!
I'm so glad I strolled in right on the anniversary of Helen's death. She is truly an unforgettable lady, and it's wonderful that you keep her memory alive.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your week, dear friend.
Hi, Sherry!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place, dear friend! You're right. You are just in time to help me mark the 35th anniversary of Helen Ettline's passing. Thank you for being here again this year to help me keep the memory of Helen alive with a song that seems ideal for the occasion - "Unforgettable."
Enjoy your week, dear friend Sherry!
Helen was obviously an incredible lady, and had a tremendous impact on you, Shady! And what a fitting song to celebrate her with. This was a beautiful performance by Natalie and her dad.
ReplyDeleteI think we all have had someone in our lives who left us with strong memories that have guided us in our personal journeys. And, the Ettlines were your guiding lights, Shady.
My chorus, glee club and choir instructor (the same man for all courses) has been mine. I am not the rock star I wanted to be...but I can hear 3 and 4 part harmonies in my head! LOL!
This is a very nice tribute and remembrance of Helen, Shady, and one cannot remember her without John coming to mind also. The two always went hand in hand.
Thank you, Shady! Take care, dear friend! ♫
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThank you very much for coming again this year as I observe the anniversary of Helen Ettline's death. She left us too soon!
As you know I use this wonderful Nat and Natalie duet year after year because it seems to fit the occasion so well. The Ettlines were indeed guiding lights in my life and left an indelible mark. Margaret Schneider, "The Oldest Living Dell Rat," is another person who has passed over to the other side but will live on in my heart the rest of my life. Thanks for letting me know that your chorus, glee club and choir instructor was one of your greatest influences and guides.
Yessum, just as we cannot think of Natalie Cole w/o remembering her dad, one cannot think of Helen Ettline w/o remembering John. Both are unforgettable.
Thank you again for being on hand for this special occasion, dear friend Suzanne. I got my math wrong in the email I sent you. This post runs a total of four days and my next new one starts this Friday, March 1. I hope to see you then!
No one is truly gone if they have loved ones to keep them alive with memories. You've brought Helen alive for those of us who never knew her or her soul mate, John. It's amazing the influence for good others can have without being the parent or relative...just good people who care. I feel like I know her just a tiny bit from your blog and try to remember that we can be a force for good in this crazy world by how we treat others. I'm sure she's smiling at this tribute and enjoying the song!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThank you for returning, as you have done year after year, to express yourself eloquently as we mark the date Helen died. I always appreciate your remarks on these occasions, dear friend!
Yessum, you never know the ripple effect your words and deeds will have, not only on people in the present, but also in the future. I hope to keep blogging for many more years and I will continue to strive to keep the fond memories of John & Helen Ettline and Margaret Schneider alive. It pleases me immensely to realize that you feel you have come to know Helen and the others from these annual tributes.
Thank you again for coming, and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend YaYa!
I never knew Helen personally, but it feels like I did and she was one of my best friends, from the way you described her.
ReplyDeleteA moment of silence as we remember dear Helen. Thank you for keeping her spirit alive, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteIt was very nice of you to come by on this special occasion and offer a few kind words in memory of Helen Ettline. Thank you very much, dear friend!
I wish you had been a Dellette of the 60s, Jessica, because I know you and Helen would have enjoyed each other's company and would have spent lots of time together in the snack bar chatting (and taking selfies :).
Thanks again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend JM, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Hi Shady,
DeleteI wish I was alive in the 1960s too because that would have been fun!
Have a great Thankful Thursday , dear friend.
Thank you, dear friend JM! I hope you had a Thankful Thursday. See you tomorrow when I publish my next post!
DeleteShe is your second mom and how fitting to always remember her especially with this beautiful song.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks a lot for being here for the annual tribute to Helen as we remember her on the anniversary of her death. She was indeed my second mom and offered a home away from home to me and countless other teenagers of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. I can't think of a better song to play to mark this occasion, and that is why I post it every year at this time.
Thanks again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend BB!
As usual, I'm late, but nevertheless wanted to write about a few things that I noticed on the grave marker shown on this post that honors the anniversary of Helen Ettline's death. You can tell a lot by reading tombstones!
ReplyDeleteJohn was born the year after my father came into the world in 1905, and Helen's birthdate was a year before Mother's. They were quite a generation, weren't they? They were enterprising, resourceful and principled souls, no doubt because they saw a lot of hardship in their time in history and persevered. They not only survived and were successful. They also went the extra mile to give of themselves and provide a leg up to those who followed them - like us.
It's always interesting to me to see how long the remaining spouse lives after their partner dies, and reflect on the keys to their survival. I wonder about John's life after he lost Helen, and how he spent the remaining nine years of his life. I so wish I could have known and befriended him then, because he must surely have been lonely at times. Also, he and Mother would have had a great time trading stories about her childhood home. I think he would have liked that, as she, and also my father, most certainly would have. Mother was my age (72) the year Helen died, and John 78. My father died in 1980, so as it turned out, sadly none of them ever met.
Since Helen did the cooking at the Dell's snack bar, did John follow her in that capacity? Did he have help maintaining the Dell? I would think as he aged, it would have become more difficult to flip burgers and keep up the dance hall and the rest of that large aging property, and I know the last of the Shady Dell's patrons treated him badly. (I wonder if Helen also was subjected to that in her last years.)
It must have been a mixed blessing for John to still have a purpose to his life to keep the Dell up and running after losing his dear wife and partner. After all, he and Helen loved to give young people a place to hang out and enjoy themselves. Perhaps keeping the Dell going reminded him of their years building that wonderful place into the memory-maker that it was. However, I'm sure he missed her terribly and it was a challenge just living without her, let alone not being as respected, loved and appreciated by rude patrons, as he was by you and your friends.
He could have been like my mother - philosophical about his life being worthwhile in spite of not being able to do everything he did in former years. I bet he stayed busy and productive as long as he physically could, not "dwelling" on his grief and the things he had no power to change. That was one of Mother's most important final lessons to us.
He would be so happy with your blog devoted to his and Helen's life's work, and especially posts such as this that remember them several times every year. Even though I never met John or Helen, I am very touched to see you, as one of their "children", honor their lives like this, and to know there were, and are, such good people in the world.
Hi, Kathleen!
DeleteThank you very much for being here to deliver the closing address as we wind up this year's tribute to Helen Ettline, the First Lady of the Shady, on the anniversary of her death 35 years ago.
I wholeheartedly agree that John and Helen along with your mother and dad and my parents were part of a great generation, a generation that knew hardship and sacrifice, remained resourceful and optimistic, survived, and paid their gifts forward to our generation. I certainly do wish you and Mother Margaret had known John. I am certain the three of you would have liked each other and enjoyed reminiscing about the Dell and old York.
I wish I knew more about the nine years John spend without Helen before his death. You asked a question that never even occurred to me all these years. What happened to Helen's snack bar after her death? I imagine John needed to hire a short order cook after Helen died. I know one or two of John's female relatives had worked at the Dell as waitresses in the 50s and 60s when it offered an extensive menu and was operating a full service restaurant. Perhaps in the last few years John closed the snack bar and simply installed vending machines.
Thank you again for being here for Helen this year and for sharing so much with our readers. You always have keen observations, raise interesting questions and give us food for thought. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend, dear friend Kathleen!
Well, like I've said before, I am impressed by just how much these people meant to you. That you stayed in contact with folks that you met as a teenager but were NOT themselves teenagers, well, that's got to be pretty rare. Unforgettable indeed!
ReplyDeleteHi, Kirk!
DeleteThank you very much, good buddy! Everything about the Shady Dell was unique, its long rich history, and the people who occupied the estate including Margaret Schneider, whose father built the Dell, and the Ettlines, the mom and pop couple who owned it and operated a juke joint for teenagers when I was young. John and Helen were positive role models and I am still under their influence to this day. So are thousands of other Dell rats.
Thanks again for helping me pay tribute to Helen on the 35th anniversary of her death. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend, good buddy Kirk!