Helen M. (Mihalov) Markovich

Helen M. Markovich (nee Mihalov) 88 of Whiting, passed away peacefully on the morning of Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at St. Catherine Hospital, East Chicago. She was the beloved wife of the late John S. Markovich who passed away March 5, 2004; loving mother of Tom, Susie (late Mark) Kwasman, Stevie (Charlotte), Matthew (Annette), Mary Therese (Jim) Burke and the late Michael; cherished grandma of Jeffrey (Joyce Duda) Justak, Christina (Keith) Kozubal, Marisa (Daniel) Dicker, Mason, Michael, Carly and Lucy Markovich, Emily Helen Burke; dearest sister of Joseph (Grace) Mihalov and Mary Phyllis (late Richard, late Cyril Yaggi) Tolin and the late Ann Kozak, Agnes Vetroczky and John Mihalov; special lifelong friend, Mimi “Ciocia” Murzyn; many nieces and nephews.

 Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 23, 2019, 9:30am at the Baran Funeral Home, 1235-119th St., Whiting; a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:00am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Whiting with the Rev. Stanley J. Dominik, officiating; interment, St. John Cemetery, Hammond; visitation at the funeral home on Sunday from 2:00 to 7:00pm. The St. John Rosary Society, together with members of the parish will offer prayers at the funeral home on Sunday at 4:30pm.

Helen Markovich was born on January 12, 1931 in Whiting, Indiana to John and Mary (Podubinsky) Mihalov. She was a lifelong resident of the Whiting-Robertsdale Community and a graduate of Catholic Central High School (Bishop Noll Institute) Class of 1949. She was a woman of great faith and a devoted member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Whiting, and the St. John Rosary Society. Her faith inspired many; her sense of humor brought laughter everywhere she went. Her personality was effervescent. Proud of her Slovak Heritage, Helen was a member of the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Assoc., BR. 81. She was a graduate of the Don Roberts School of Beauty and was a licensed hair dresser in the State of Indiana. She was a waitress at the former Rupcich Restaurant on the East Side of Chicago and was a retired food service employee at the Clark High School cafeteria. She loved to cook, play bingo, and exercise in the aqua aerobics class at the Whiting Community Center. Her popcorn was legendary. A woman of great conviction, Helen was an environmentalist before it was fashionable and a community activist. She loved children and children loved her. Devoted to her family, she will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her. Memorials to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Whiting or to the Whiting Food Pantry would be appreciated. 

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