Dorothea Helga Reinhardt, known as Helga (the Saxony tradition is to be known by the name preceding your surname) was born in Niederpoyritz, just outside Dresden in eastern Germany, to an English mother and German father. Her sisters were Erica, Sonja and Wilma. She also had a brother who died in childhood.

At the start of WWII, she was just 17. Yet it was Helga who made a rudimentary bomb shelter for the family. Despite being of questionable strategic value, Dresden was bombed mercilessly with almost 4000 tonnes of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices in February 1945. During one such raid, Helga pleaded with a young soldier to get into the shelter with her family. He declined as he was not allowed to leave his post. When the raid was over, the young man had been spread all over the garden by a bomb. It seemed likely that Helga’s industriousness had saved her family’s lives but she always remembered that young soldier with sadness..

Also, at that time, Helga worked in a factory that produced highly flammable photographic film. At one point, a bomb had come through the roof of an office and landed in a leather chair – it did not explode – another close escape.

At the end of the war, as the Russians moved into Germany, Helga and Wilma fled for the West, experiencing life as refugees. Showing great initiative, Helga secreted 2 flags in her pants – one British and one German – so that she could wave the appropriate flag depending on which soldiers they saw. Nevertheless, at one point, they ended up in cells overnight. They had been arrested by American soldiers; she needed bigger pants for more flags. Eventually, though, they reached the west, where she met and fell in love with an English soldier named Ronnie Smith.

In 1947 Helga moved to England with Ronnie and, as a married couple, they settled in his home town of Stockton-on-Tees. Subsequently, the couple were blessed with 2 sons, Andrew and William in 1948 and 1949 respectively.

On 19th December 1951, the family moved from Barrett Street in Portrack to Radstock Avenue in Roseworth - where Helga stayed for the rest of her life. The moving vehicle was a horse drawn cart belonging to Tommy Burr, the local coal man. The furniture was a second-hand double bed, a Victorian bed chair for Andy and Billy, a second-hand easy chair and a wireless. Ronnie, Helga and little Billy sat up front with Tommy and and Andy sat in the back with the rubbish. The rest of the street was still being built so Ronnie was able to collect bits of wood from the building site so that they could have a fire. 

 Sadly, in 1963 Ronnie died and Helga became a single parent.

A massive change came in 1970, when she started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. For various personal reasons (not just stubbornness), it took her 6 years to dedicate her life to Jehovah God and she was baptised during the Edinburgh District Convention in 1976. From that time on, she developed a reputation as a faithful member of Stockton Congregation, where she served for 42 years until her death.

Until relatively recently, Helga would never miss a meeting. When Anthony was a child, if she was ever ill on a meeting night, he would expect an evening at home watching the telly. But she would always say “I just don’t feel right if I miss a meeting.” She was equally diligent with the ministry. In her 60s, she visited Andy while he was working in the Shetland Islands. She took the opportunity to increase her ministry, placing dozens of pieces of literature in seldom-worked territory. She also started a Bible study with Marilyn, who later became her Christian sister. Even at about 90, she would be seen visiting her regular calls with magazines in her shopping trolley, completely independent and using the bus as transport.

Helga's faith supported her to the end. Death held no fear or dread for Helga. She knew that Jesus described death as a sleep. Just as Martha said to Jesus about her brother Lazarus, “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day,” Helga was absolutely confident that she would awaken in paradise on Earth. Like the Apostle Paul, she could say, “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” She can now rest in peace with her future reward secure.