Helena A. Roggio was born Helena Antonina Dwojakowska in Jersey City on April 24, 1924. She passed away on August 29, 2026. She attended Polish Catholic School where she fine-tuned her knowledge of the Polish language. (Both of her parents were born in Poland and emigrated separately to America in the 19th Century. They soon met and married here and intended to return to Poland, but the outbreak of World War II prevented them from doing so. ) While she attended high school she became a very good baton twirling majorette and led many parades. One of her early jobs was working at a bakery where she learned to tie and knot string around packages single-handedly. During World War II, while her three brothers (Chester, John and Joey) were in the Army, she helped care for returning veterans and fell in love with nursing. She graduated from St. Francis School of Nursing and worked at Christ Hospital. It was there that she met her future husband (John Anthony Roggio) and was married in 1951. When her son (Muzzi John Roggio) was born, she took her only hiatus from her beloved nursing. After a few years she returned to Christ Hospital, became a Charge Nurse, and her mother (Bronislawa (Blanche/Bianca) Dillewska Dwojakowska) was the baby sitter. When her son was of school age she began working at an eye doctor’s (Dr. A. Buonacolto) office and operating room on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, near Bloomingdale’s. (She loved the sales there.) After a number of years with the eye doctor she became the school nurse at her son’s school (Holy Rosary Academy) in Union City. Later on she worked at North Hudson Hospital for a while. This was followed by periods of time at Palisades General in Edgewater, and then at St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken. (She took shifts on the floor and the emergency room as well as being in charge of one of the wings there.) After her mother passed away, she and her son traveled to Poland where her ability to speak Polish was so skilled that the natives thought she was born there. She was becoming more and more involved with geriatrics, so she pivoted slightly and became board certified (RNBC) in Gerontology. She returned to school (Rutgers) and received a bachelor’s degree. From then on she worked exclusively in homes for the aged: St. Joseph’s Home, the Lutheran Home (DON), and Palisades Nursing Home constantly developing her skills for treating decubitae. After all those years, a colleague (Ms. Bruin, RN) told her about St. Ann’s Home for the Aged. With her she brought her skills and eccentricities, such as lavender air freshener, vinegar wash, and green tea. She never stopped learning; she attended many conferences and workshops during her active time there. She never stopped loving nursing, and is happy and proud to be a Nurse.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2026, 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Failla-McKnight Memorial Home, 533 Willow Avenue, Hoboken. Parking is available in the rear of the funeral home off Sixth Street.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, September 4, 2026, 10:00 AM at the Chapel at Peace Care St. Ann’s Home for the Aged, 198 Old Bergen Road, Jersey City. Helena will be laid to rest at Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City.