Helen J. Sweeney

A beautiful and unique lady left this earth on February 26th at 7:45 pm. Helen Sweeney passed away of natural causes in the home she shared with her daughter Natalie and Son-in-law Gene. She was surrounded by loved ones and it was very peaceful.
Helen was born in Lark, Utah to Eloise Roth and Philo D. Humphries on December 13, 1936. She was the youngest of 3 girls and only spoke of her childhood with the fondest of memories.
In 1953 at the very young age of 16, she married Merlin Johnson. They later divorced. In 1961 she married Richard Sweeney who was the absolute love of her life. She was devoted to him beyond measure and they were married for 50 years before he passed in 2011.
Helen is survived by son Jeff Sweeney (Sharon), daughter, Natalie Fink (Gene) Son Kirk Johnson (Pam) and 7 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and her sister Fay Anderson. She also had a very special place in her heart for Step Daughter, Kathy Gardner (Mike). Kathy was always there for my mom and loved her like her own Mom.
She loved her little toy poodle Sam with all of her heart and he loved her the same. They were inseparable to the end.
Helen went to Beauty School in the 70’s and her sons built her a beauty shop in her home so that she could work from home and be there for her kids and also make ends meet. She did all the older ladies hair in the downtown salt lake neighborhood for years and years. Eventually she took a job with Workers Compensation Fund and retired early so that she could help take care of her grandsons.
In the early 2000’s, Helen and her husband Rich started their own hot shot trucking company called R&H Transportation. They ran this business for 10 years and had great success.
Some of the things that Helen loved to do was to sit around the table on Friday or Saturday night with her kids and drink wine. We could sit around the table for hours and talk about anything and everything. It was always her and Jeff and Sharon and usually Gene and Natalie but different grandkids joined in from time to time. She spent every Saturday and Sunday morning drinking coffee with Natalie at the kitchen counter or on the patio in the warm weather. They would talk about everything. She also loved to lay out in the sun. This is a passion she and her daughter shared until her last summer. On any given weekend day during the summer months, you could find Helen and Natalie on the patio in the sun getting as tan as they possibly could. She enjoyed her daily phone calls with Jeff. He called her every single day and they talked for an hour. No matter how she felt near the end of her life, when Jeff called, she perked up and we would hear her laugh and enjoy every minute of their talks. Her relationship with Jeff and Natalie was absolutely special and beautiful in every way.
Helen’s entire life revolved around her family. She never wanted much for herself, she just wanted to get her family together and serve them. She could not wait for the next family party and to plan the food. Thanksgiving and Christmas were her favorite holidays and she always made it amazing for her family. She worked tirelessly to clean her house, prepare food and wait on her family any way she could from ironing our clothes to making our dinner right up to her last weeks of life.
Helen was known for her beauty, her smile, and her passionate love for her family. She would give every penny, work her fingers to the bone, and go without to make sure her family had what they needed. This is her legacy. She was also funny and goofy and totally unique. For her family, she will be forever missed and life will never be the same without her here with us.
We want to ask everyone who knew her to carry on her legacy by loving your families unconditionally, fearlessly and without boundaries the way she loved us. Let your children know that you love them and will be there for them no matter what, the way she was here for us. She would love this.
Our family want to thank Rocky Mountain Hospice who made it possible to care for our Mom at home. The entire staff was so sweet and gentle with our mom. A special thanks to Nurse Vickie who visited with my mom every Thursday at the kitchen counter. She adored you Vickie!
Our mom never wanted a sad funeral but rather one more party. We will get together to celebrate her life on Sunday March 10th. An open house will be held in her honor at the Clubhouse in Vita and Cliff Garrett’s neighborhood. Vita is Natalie’s lifelong best friend and was like a daughter to Helen and was with her during her last moments. It was as if she waited for Vita to be with Natalie before she could go. Please join us at the Ivory Heights Clubhouse, 2950 W. Ivory Way 6523 S) in Taylorsville anytime between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 10th for one last party in honor of Helen Sweeney.
Service Information

Celebration of Life
March 10, 2019 at 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Ivory House Clubhouse, 2950 W. Ivory Way, Taylorsville, Utah