Virginia Helweg
Virginia Roeder Helweg, 85, of Shiner, passed away
peacefully on Monday, April 18, 2022 with her loving
family by her side.
Born January 3, 1937, to Oswald and Leona Baca
Roeder in High Hill, Texas, she was of German and
Czech ancestry and was the second oldest of six children.
She received part of her education at Svetlo,
a country school between Schulenburg and Weimar.
When the school closed, she attended St. Rose in
Schulenburg. Her family then moved to St. John near
Schulenburg, and she would finish 10th grade at St.
John School. She would later receive her Certificate
of High School Equivalency.
She came to Shiner in February 18, 1955, to work
as a waitress at Edgar’s Drive-Inn. This is where she
would meet the love of her life, Brian H. Helweg, and
married him on December 26, 1956. They made their
first home in El Paso where Brian was stationed in
the Army. They would be blessed with two daughters,
Ada and Sue during this time. They lived there
until he was discharged in 1958, returning to Shiner
with their new family. A year later, a son Tod would
complete their family.
Virginia, with her outgoing personality, had many
careers throughout her life. She would complete a
course in Cosmetology in 1959, then in 1966, begin
work as a dental assistant for Dr. A.A. Darilek, Sr. and
Dr. A.A. Darilek Jr. for 13 years. In 1973, when the
Shiner Volunteer Rescue Unit was organized, Virginia
was one of the first to volunteer. In 1978, she was
certified as an Emergency Medical Technician and
served in all the organizational offices.
She had a deep love of history in her community,
her family’s birthplace, and her ancestry. She worked
at the Edwin Wolters Memorial Museum for several
years, giving tours and sharing the details of Shiner
and its many wonderful artifacts. She was instrumental
in obtaining the historical marker located at
Half Moon Timber, the original townsite of Shiner.
She worked tirelessly on the Shiner History Book,
The First 100 Years, published in 1987 and she also
served on the Lavaca County Historical Commission.
She enjoyed people, getting to know them and
learn about their past, and that brought her to her
next job at Trinity Lutheran Home, now Shiner Nursing
& Rehabilitation Center, as an Activities Aid.
Her bubbly personality and spirited voice could be
heard in many of the resident’s rooms as she loved
spending time with them.
Her hobbies were numerous, and through the years
she did each with gusto. As she would say, her favorite
hobbies were first, her children. She was active in the
Shiner High School PTO as well as serving as the Girl
Scouts Leader and in Cub Scouts as a Den Mother.
She was also a Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star.
She enjoyed bowling with Brian and many of their
friends in the early years. After a visit to Germany
to visit her sister Dorothy and husband, Del, she
would try Volksmarching, a walking sport popular
there. Never someone to sit still long, she would
come home and become a founding member of the
Shiner Volksmarching Club. She and Brian would
frequently travel across the state, enjoying beautiful
walks while making many new friends and of course,
a cold Shiner beer, on their travels.
She was an avid quilter, and her designs were
works of art, often winning awards at area quilt shows.
She was a member of the Shiner
Heritage Quilt Guild, and
she enjoyed her fellowship
with other quilters and their
love of creating an heirloom. A
particular showcase quilt was
one she made for her daughter,
Sue, sewn entirely from her
husband’s silk neckties. She
loved it when the quilt told a
story of one’s life, as many of
her quilts did of hers.
She loved yard sales, thrift shops and was a weekly
visitor to the Pilot Club Thrift Shop. The excitement
she would have when she stumbled across quilting
squares just perfect for her next project, all for just
$1.00, was always pure joy. She loved antiques, and
collecting kisters, also known as the travel trunks immigrants
used to come to America—always trying to
decipher where this particular item had come from
and what it told about its owner. Other collections
dear to her included bonnets and vintage sewing
machines.
Her final lifelong hobby would be one she’d dive
into with great passion – the collection of vintage
aprons and the stories tied to her apron’s strings.
Her collection through the years would amass more
than 800 aprons, collected from every era through the
present. She would often scour eBay, garage sales and
every thrift store while attending her grandchildren’s
sporting events in hope of finding that one-of-a-kind
apron. She was so happy when one of those visits
brought the perfect discovery of the sweetest old
apron stuck in a corner, complete with a newly built
bird’s nest in the pocket. Through the years, she was
often asked to give her apron presentation to area
clubs, and they were always a hit. Hardest part was
selecting which special aprons made the trip because
she loved each one and the story it told. She also
participated in the National Apron Extravaganza held
in Tennessee in 2012.
Most importantly, Virginia will be remembered
for a personality larger than life. She never met a
stranger and loved living life with joy, laughter and
most importantly, fun. Many a Shinerite can recall
seeing her in her orange Nova car, probably driving
a bit too fast, windows down, her arm waving, and
hollering a big hello to her friends on the street.
She loved living in Shiner and was one of its proudest
citizens. When she and Brian were asked to be
Grand Marshall at the Half Moon Holiday Parade,
she beamed with pride while sitting shotgun in his
pink Cadillac. Her grandsons will recall with horror
her hollering out the window at any cute girls what
handsome grandsons she had in the back seat.
The family would like to express their gratitude
for the kindness and care their mother received in
the later years of her life. We would like to thank
the Shiner Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Dr.
Ralph Wagner and Crown Hospice for their support
and care.
Virginia loved her family and was so proud of her
children and grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Brian
Helweg; her parents, Oswald and Leona Roeder; and
brothers, Joe Roeder and Allen Roeder.
Survivors include her daughters, Ada Coffman of
Shiner, and Sue Guy and husband Marc of Carrollton;
son, Tod Helweg and wife, Melissa of Seguin;
grandchildren, Matthew Taylor of San Marcos, Haley
Fournier and husband Trey of Houston, Alexa Guy of
Conroe, Tanner Helweg and wife Timber of Houston,
and Aric Guy of Greenville, South Carolina; and
great-grandchildren, Kolar and Bennett.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shiner
Lutheran Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 26, Shiner,
TX. 77984.
A Celebration of Life service was held at 10 a.m.
Friday, April 22 at Thiele-Cooper Funeral Home in
Yoakum.
Our thanks to Thiele-Cooper Funeral Home for
handling the arrangements.
Online guest book may be signed at www.thielecooper.
com