Helge Liane Gunther (nee Hoffmann) of Stettin, Germany

Helge Liane Gunther (nee Hoffmann) wife of Wolfgang Gunther, mother of Rita Gunther McGrath (John) and Bernard Gunther (Jan) and grandmother of Matthew and Anne McGrath and Maximilian and Zachary Gunther, died on July 21, 2017.

Helge was born on July 27, 1928 in Stettin, Germany, the daughter of Dr. Helmut Hoffmann, a chemist, and his wife Hildegard, née Bockow, a teacher. Helge grew up mostly in Berlin, with interruptions for war-time evacuation in the Alps. After graduation from high school (Abitur), she had an agricultural apprenticeship. She extended a visit as an au pair in England by enrolling at the University of Leeds where she received a B.Sc. in Agriculture (1954) and an M.Sc. in Agricultural Bacteriology (1956). In 1958, she earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology at Queen Elizabeth College, the University of London. She moved shortly thereafter, together with her husband, to the USA. As a Research Associate in the Pharmacology Department of Yale University Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut she worked on the new field of radiation to DNA. Both children were born during this period. When her husband joined the Xerox Corporation, the family residence became Webster, NY. During her Webster years, she contributed to the cub scouts and as a Literacy Volunteer, helping children with second languages. She then served for 6 years on the elected Webster Board of Education, while she established herself as an independent scientific translator. She continued this activity when her husband’s next transfer with Eastman Kodak brought them to the Philadelphia area.

Helge has been a member of the American Society of Microbiology. She co-founded the Translators of Western New York (TOWNY), joined the American Translators Association (ATA) and the Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA) and served the latter as its president and for many years as membership chairman. She was a director and librarian of the Main Line Mac User Group (MLMUG). She has authored and coauthored several scientific and translation-associated articles.

Helge enjoyed gardening, walking, swimming, and snorkeling. Once computers made their appearance, she quickly adopted the technology and contacted her many friends on the internet. She traveled extensively worldwide to over 50 countries to visit historic, cultural and adventure centers in all seven continents. She will be sorely missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to her Visitation 7:00-9:00 PM Friday, July 28, 2017 and 9:00-11:00 AM Saturday, July 29, 2017 followed by her 11:00 AM Funeral Service at The Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA 19382, 610-4319000. Interment Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery, West Chester, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory to Neighborhood Hospice, 400 E. Marshall Street, West Chester, PA 19380.

Online condolences at www.donohuefuneralhome.com