Helene Irene Dal Poggetto

Dal Poggetto, Helene Irene Watts, 1924-2018.

Helene Dal Poggetto died on August 10, 2018 at her home in Sonoma. She was 94. Her family said she died of natural causes. Mrs. Dal Poggetto was the daughter of William Watts and Florence Parrett Watts, both of Colorado. Helene’s early years were spent with her mother at her aunt and uncle’s dryland farm in Cherryvale, Kansas. After moving to Denver for her schooling, she returned to the farm summers. Her duties included churning butter and making fresh fruit pies. Her love of gardening and animals was nurtured in these locales and she later carried this love to Sonoma where she cultivated beautiful flower and vegetable gardens at the family home. Helene attended North High in Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder. Helene met her future husband, Sonoma native Newton Dal Poggetto at CU-Boulder. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Newton (also known as Dal) enlisted in the US Navy and Helene returned to her home in Denver where she worked test firing machine guns for B-17 bombers. They married after the war in 1946. While Newton attended the University of Denver to receive his Juris Doctorate from its College of Law, Helene worked as a telephone operator to support themselves and their newborn daughter, Lynne. In 1950 the family moved to Sonoma where daughter Sandra and son Marc were born. Helene worked in the City Clerk’s office and later as a legal secretary until her retirement. In addition to being a serious gardener, Helene enjoyed to lake fish and ski. Dal and she traveled throughout Europe and to South America, China and the South Pacific. Helene was a talented cook and was always welcoming to family friends. Newton, predeceased her in January of this year.

Helene Dal Poggetto is survived by daughters, Lynne Dal Poggetto of Berkeley (Burton Edwards), Sandra Dal Poggetto of Helena, MT (Brian Kahn), and a son, Marc Dal Poggetto, of Petaluma; grandchildren Ashley Haywood, Julia Stewart, Lisa Schmitt, Dylan Kahn and Bryanna Whitney; great-grandchildren Rowan, Lily and Pearl Haywood-O’Neill; Bobby, McKenna, Zachariah Stewart; Noah, Gracelyn and William Schmitt. Helene’s family would like to thank Tomas Tecpanectal for his years of faithful service and Adi Matainaniu for her years of devoted caregiving to both Helene and Dal. Services will be held August 24th at 1 PM at Duggan’s Mission Chapel in Sonoma. Gifts in her name may be given to Guide Dogs for the Blind or Hospice By the Bay.

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