Helene Louise Frances Yurth

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Helene Louise Frances Yurth of Bemus Point, died peacefully in the company of her husband and family members on Sept. 4, 2008, at Pomerado Hospital in San Diego, Calif.

Her friends, associates and family will celebrate her life at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008 in the Hall of Philosophy at Chautauqua Institution, with a reception immediately following in the Institution's Smith Memorial Library, where she served as director.

Born May 21, 1953, in Cleveland, to Helen and Joseph Yurth, Helene grew up in and around Seven Hills, Ohio, and earned Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Science degrees in Botany and Library Science from Baldwin-Wallace College, and Kent State and Clarion Universities. Beginning her library career at the Bemus Point Village Library, she went on to direct the Library at Chautuaqua Institution, where she served for 17 years.

Helene's light heart and joy in all living things reflected her passion - to live out Mahatma Ghandi's exhortation: ''Be the change you wish to see in the world.'' Her her needlework, her exquisite greenhouse, her love of gardening, her unique home on Luce Road, and her healthy menagerie of pets reflect Helene's priorities, and they will miss her.

Though she was well on her way to becoming a Reiki master and offering her home and its small cottages as a wellness retreat, those who knew Helene agree that her desire to refresh the spirits of all she knew was already realized.

Helene leaves her husband and best friend, William ''Ducko" Birskovich of Bemus Point; her mother, Helen Yurth of Cleveland; her brother, Joseph Jr. and nephew, Sam; her beloved, mostly-Lab dogs, Teddy and Bhaer (as in Little Women); her Chautauqua colleagues, and many friends. She was preceded in death by her father in 1998.