Virginia Hielen Obituary Published by Legacy Remembers on Feb. 26, 2024.

Virginia Mary "Babe" Hielen, born Carlin, of Chicago, IL, passed away on February 16, 2024, in Gilbert, AZ, at the age of 86.

Virginia, known to her loved ones as "Babe," was a dedicated volunteer at Helen's Hope Chest and actively participated in various Christian missions to Africa. She believed in God and was deeply family-oriented.

She is survived by her children: John (Shawnee) Johnson, Tony (Annie) Johnson, Robert (Danna) Johnson, Ken Johnson, Mary (Phil) Magewick, Jim (Connie) Johnson, Trish (David) Tavares, and William (Rachel) Johnson. Virginia is also survived by her siblings, Francine (Bill) Hanson and Ken (Joann) Carlin.

Virginia was preceded in death by her spouse, George Hielen, and siblings Cathy Spencer, Joe Carlin, Pat Carlin, and Tony Carlin.

Virginia attended Resurrection High School and was a member of Mesa Church of Christ.

A service to celebrate Virginia's life will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 11:30 am at Mesa Church of Christ, 1223 E. Dana Ave, Mesa, AZ 85204.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Helen's Hope Chest, 126 E University Dr, Mesa, AZ 85201.

May she rest in peace.

Eulogy from her 6 March 2024 Celebration of Life

Good morning, family and friends. My name is Phil Magewick, and I have been Virginia's son-in-law for the past 33 years. On behalf of the family, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for being here today to honor the life of Virginia Hielen. Virginia was born March 21, 1937, and left her earthly body to be with her Lord and Savior on February 16, 2024. She lived 86 wonderful years doing what she did best, helping others and living life to the fullest. As we celebrate Virginia's life, let us do so the way Virginia lived, with great love, and an abundance of laughter. Virginia wouldn't want it any other way! 

f you asked Virginia where her greatest joy came from, she'd say, "my kids." If you asked Virginia where her greatest challenges came from, she'd say, "my kids." I mean, Virginia had 8 kids in the span of 13 years. Who wouldn't find it challenging chasing after all those children? After four boys, Virginia finally got her first girl. Virginia couldn't tell you why she kept having babies after that, but if you asked her youngest, William, he'd tell you, "Because she was waiting for the BEST. You do know I'm her favorite, right?" 

Virginia's eight children put the spark in her eye and a spring in her step. Nothing made Virginia smile wider than a call or visit from her kids. She so looked forward to Mary's weekly phone calls; Trish popping in for a quick hello; or a random visit from any one of her children. Ken was especially conscientious about dropping in for a few hours just to give his mom a hug and kiss. While this might sound like something every son would do, what made this extraordinary is that Ken lives over 1,000 miles away from his momma's home. He'd spend 15 hours driving just to give his mom a hug and a kiss! In case you were wondering, Ken really is the favorite child, no matter how many times he tells you he isn't.  

Virginia was fiercely loyal to her family, like a protective momma bear who would do anything to help her kids. It was not an easy task keeping up with 6 boys and 2 girls, especially considering many of those years she was a single parent. She was a working mom, but still found time to attend school concerts and sporting events. This held true even with her grandkids, she loved to attend any of their activities. And Virginia could always be counted on to capture every moment with a quick photo. With other people you might not know how a photo will turn out; but with Virginia, you could always count on a thumb being right in the middle of the picture!  

Virginia took great care to make sure her family had everything they needed. With 8 kids to clothe and feed, and not much money left after paying bills, Virginia learned how to do more with less. She was an excellent bargain shopper: there were always presents under the Christmas tree and she knew how to cook dishes that could be stretched to feed all those hungry kids. Two of the family's favorite dinners were spaghetti and chicken & dumplings, which are still favorites amongst her kids today. 

All of Virginia's kids can share a story of how she was supportive, nonjudgemental, and did her best to guide them in the right direction. 

Prime Example: when Ken was 12, he got mad at his dad and decided to run away. He packed up a pillowcase of his "really good stuff" and stashed it away until he was ready to leave. Virginia found his stash, and instead of talking him out of running away, she sat down with him and said: "I guess you got to do what is right for you. I know I'm going to be really sad when you leave. You will probably need some money for things, so maybe I can scrape up a couple of dollars for you. You know it's going to be really dark out there, don't you?" Her son couldn't believe his ears, his mom was going to let him go out into the dark, cold night to starve! It took about 30 minutes for him to tell his mom, "I don't want you to be sad; if it's okay I'll just stay at home". That wasn't the first, or last time Virginia let her kids think they could make their own decisions. 

Virginia would never allow anyone to make her kids feel less than. One time a family friend showed up drinking a Coke and eating a store-bought cake in front of Virginia's kids. This friend knew Virginia's kids never got such treats; so as far as Virginia was concerned, if he wasn't going to share, then he was going to leave. Yep, that's right, Virginia threw that friend out of her house. Don't mess with momma bear! 

Virginia met the love of her life, George, in 1984; mutual friends of Virginia and George had set them up on a blind date at a backyard barbeque. Virginia was told that George didn't like to talk much, so she showed up not expecting much conversation; little did she know that from the first hello the conversation would never stop. In Virginia's own words, her and George "solved all the problems of the world that day". They were married in 1985, and remained together until George's death in 1995. 

You didn't have to be a blood relative to be family, and you didn't have to call her mom to have a place to stay. Throughout the years, Virginia's home was home to many of her kids' friends who were having a tough time. She would take them in, treat them as her own, give them an ear to talk to, and offer any advice she felt would help. Virginia even opened her home to some of her own friends to help them during times of transition in their lives. Sometimes it seemed Virginia forgot how many kids she had. One morning, when she was feeding her brood, a neighbor stopped by to see if anyone had seen her son. Virginia looked around the table and said, "Sorry, I haven't seen him." Just then the boy jumped up with a mouth full of food saying, "Here I am". You see, Virginia just fed whoever showed up at her table. If you were there, you were one of hers. 

There is only one thing Virginia loved more than her family, and that was her Lord and Savior.  

Deeply inspired by faith and committed to serving God with her whole heart, Virginia lived her entire life as a devote Christian. When she located to Arizona, she became a long-standing member of the Mesa Church of Christ, where she served on two mission trips: one in 2002 to South America, and another in 2009 to West Africa. Anyone who knew Virginia knew she loved the Lord! When Virginia was told she had two months to live, she didn't wallow in sorrow; instead, she took comfort in knowing she had a place at the table in heaven.  

In addition to serving God, Virginia felt called to serve others. She was a Deputy Register with the Maricopa County Elections for 15 years, registering voters as well as supervising 5 polling precincts making sure every vote got counted. She volunteered with the Gilbert Public Elementary schools, helping in classrooms and providing supplies to any child who wanted or needed them. In addition, Virginia also helped provide free tax service to underserved communities. 

Viriginia's greatest love for volunteering was at Helen's Hope Chest, a community-based nonprofit that supports Arizona's foster children and families. What started out as just helping for a few weeks turned into 15 years of dutiful service. She would do anything that was needed; she would wash clothes, fix toys, scavenge yard sales for items that a foster family might treasure, and she even played Ms. Claus at the annual Christmas event. There was no stopping her. Rain or shine, sick or healthy, Virginia was going to Helen's Hope Chest. When Virginia stopped driving, she either hitched a ride from her dear friend Marilyn, a family member, or she would take Uber. You heard that correctly, she would pay an Uber driver to take her to Helen's so she could volunteer.  

Virginia's generosity went beyond volunteering. She was also known to put together gift packs for the young neighborhood kids, consisting of pencils, crayons, coloring books, and maybe a few other goodies that every kid liked. She also welcomed new families to the neighborhood by delivering a plate of cookies, even if that meant she had to bake a few different batches just to have enough cookies that weren't burnt. And, when she was running a garage sale to raise money for mission trips, she made sure no child left without a toy, even if they didn't have money to pay.  

Virginia had an impact on so many people during her life that we'll never know how many people she touched in a positive, uplifting, and caring way. Her compassion for helping others was legendary, her ability to make you feel special was unmatched, and her love for her family and friends was never ending.  

Rest in heaven Virginia, know that you will be loved and missed forever.