Heleen Katz Schroff Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Heleen Katz Schroff Born March 17, 1921 to Harry and Rose Katz in Hattiesburg, MS. She had one sister, Doris who tragically died at age 5 while in surgery to remove her tonsils. Rose was pregnant with another daughter when Harry died unexpectedly in 1924. That daughter was born in 1924 and was named Harryette. As children of a single mother, Heleen and her sister Harryette were raised by their paternal grandparents as their mother ran the family dry goods store, S.H. Katz. Heleen spoke fondly of how hard her mother worked to take care of the two girls and run the store. Heleen graduated from high school in Hattiesburg and then entered freshman class of University of Miami, with her mother, sister and other relatives in tow. They were not going to let her go alone! After one year, the family left Miami and lived in Dallas, then Hot Springs before settling in their second “home”, New Orleans, where Heleen met Jerome “Jerry” Schroff, a med student studying Psychiatry at Tulane University and later LSU. The couple married in 1951 and moved to Memphis, where Jerry had been offered a position. The couple adopted two boys, Michael and Jim, who the couple gave a beautiful and supportive home. Michael passed away in 2011 and Jim in 2020. Jerry and Heleen were world travelers and enjoyed many friends and their lives in Memphis. Jerry died on February 25, 1985 and Heleen continued to travel, play golf and enjoy her many friends. Michael and James also died before their mother. Heleen was a robust, busy and friendly resident at Belmont Village, where she spent her last years. Heleen’s friend and widow of Attorney Irving Bogatin, Nancy Bogatin went beyond her role as a friend to manage Heleen’s life and affairs as her guardian, coordinating Heleen’s medical, housing needs. Heleen’s distant cousin by marriage, Fran Carpenter, enjoyed visiting with Heleen and taking her Shihzhu, Lulu to visit before Covid made that almost impossible. Heleen’s sister Harryette Katz Jacobs who lived in Los Angeles pre-deceased her, dying in Los Angeles. She leaves a niece, Diane Jacobs widow of Nelson Blackstock in Los Angeles.

Tributes

Heleen Katz Schroff

March 18, 1921 - January 17, 2021