Helen (Darmos) Wilkins

Helen Wilkins of Fresno, was born on November 9, 1926, and passed away at home on Tuesday, Decem- ber 24, 2006, at the age of 80. She was the eldest of three daughters born to George and Helen Darmos, both deceased, of South Bend, Indiana. Before college, Helen began her long career as a retail buyer in her parents’ business, the Darmos Department Store in South Bend, Indiana. She attended Indiana University where she majored in Business. After college, she resumed her work as a buyer at Capwells and Livingstons in San Francisco before coming to Fresno as a buyer of women’s intimate apparel at Gottschalks.

During her 25 years at Gottschalks, Helen became a maven of fashion and she studied fashion trends as diligently as others study their stock portfolios. She knew how to spot trends and to assess their impact on the many local markets of Gottschalks. During her retail career, her annual sales volume and profit margin ratings were consistently among the top in comparable stores and markets. Helen made many lasting friendships both in her personal and professional lives, including the manufacturers and vendors with whom she did business. She was a mentor to many of the present buyers and was a model for all of them.

During her retail career, she made several buying trips to Europe, Asia and India and was always ready to share her buyer’s insights with friends and colleagues. In memory of Helen and her dedicated service to Gottschalks, her family has created an endowment for The Helen Wilkins Buyers Award that will be given annually by Gottschalks to the buyer whose work is exemplary and who best symbolizes the spirit and dedication that advance the corporate mission. An honorarium and plaque will be given to each recipient of the award. Those we love are never really lost to us - we feel them in so many ways. Through friends they always cared about and dreams they left behind, and in the beauty they added to our days.

In words of wisdom we still carry with us and memories that never will be gone, those we love are never really lost to us - for everywhere their love lives on.

Helen is survived by her sisters, Irene Horning of South Bend, Indiana and Goldie Davis of North Port, Florida; her niece, Valerie Kaye Dye of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and nephews, Jeffrey Davis of Orange, California and Alan Davis of St. Charles, Illinois.

A Reception celebrating Helen’s life will be held at Pardini’s Restaurant, in the Tuscan Room, 2257 West Shaw in Fresno, on Thursday, February 22, 2007, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Sources: Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com

06/05/2024 EJS