EAST LANSING
- Helen Ann Barger (Ozim), nee “Estee” by those in her early inner circle, passed from this life peacefully on April 6. Helen was born to Steve and Theresa Ozim in their family home in Detroit on 3/2/29. She was the youngest of 4 children and grew up in the shadow of the Great
Depression. She had an illustrious life as an entrepreneur in many business ventures from her earliest work in her young teens as a silk stocking merchant during the Depression, through her retirement in 1995 from Grace Convalescent
Center in Detroit as their Nursing Home Administrator for 26 years- a role that she was immensely proud of as this allowed her to raise her 3 children as an independent, single Mom during a time of little social support. Most of her career was spent in some role within health care administration, but she also enjoyed a short and exciting employ with Capital Airlines, giving birth to a family fascination with the airlines.
She had another secret and exciting life that was as prodigious as her vocational career; she was passionate about her roles as: Beauty Advisor (she was Estee Lauder’s most vocal marketing agent for the perfume, Youth Dew, whose scent was also used to quietly unsettle the vociferous backseat riders in the Ford Falcon she was so proud of); Editor and Commentator (she could easily “skim” a book, particularly on the subject of WW2, in minutes); Dressmaker (she must have learned this skill from her sister, Stella, as there is no objective history of said skill although accounts of creating her prom dress are documented proudly by Helen); Comedienne (her work as a stand-up is legacy and for small gatherings of co-workers, her creation of the “Bartender” role as the character who perfected Old Fashioneds and Manhattans; Card Shark (as she hosted Bridge Club and often won for many decades); Golf Pro and Spectator Extraordinaire (she loved the game and played for decades, friendly with the family of Arnold Palmer, watching many a tournament from her special grandstand seating on the 18th green at Bay Hill), and Sports Commentator (She could be seen frequently amidst the baseball greats at