Helen Rae Cerier, 98, daughter of loving parents Sol and Lena (Abrams) Segal, sister of Sylvia Manko (deceased), passed away peacefully on Monday, July 4, 2022, surrounded by those who loved her, after a long and beautiful life.
Originally a native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, she moved to Kansas City in 1938 at age 14 and was a graduate of Westport High School.
Helen Rae went on to attend college at UMKC in 1941 and finished three years of college before starting her career as an executive secretary for both Rabbi Gershon Haddas and Cantor Jacob Rothblatt at Beth Shalom Synagogue at 3400 Paseo in Kansas City. The following year, she then added the role of being the synagogue’s bookkeeper until her marriage in 1946 to Sydney Cerier.
Helen Rae and Sydney moved to Boston for a short time before returning to Kansas City in 1948. They moved into the Clyde Manner in Kansas City, Missouri, to start their family. It was here that the couple made many of their lifetime friends.
As a young adult and parent, Helen Rae’s passions included bowling and playing tennis. Most of her tennis days were spent at Homestead Country Club where she served on their tennis board.
Later in life, Helen Rae had a 28 year career preparing taxes for clients of H&R Block (1970-1998). She also fulfilled the role of a tax instructor for four of those years. In 1999, she started a new position by independently writing taxes for her clients for the next 10 years.
Over her lifetime, Helen Rae volunteered at Menorah Hospital at the information desk as well as other departments. She also served as treasurer of the Beth Shalom Synagogue Sisterhood for eight years and four years as corresponding secretary. She has served on the “Life Board” since 1988. Helen Rae was a life member of Hadassah as well as the Menorah Hospital Auxiliary.
Helen Rae was passionate about her family and all of the friends she made along life’s journey. Her children would often jest that wherever they traveled, their mother would always run into someone who knew someone she knew. “The six degrees of Helen Rae Cerier,” they would boast.
Helen Rae leaves behind her son, Stewart (Skip) Cerier of Katy, Texas; her deceased daughter, Roberta (Robyn) Cerier, formerly of Chicago, Illinois; her grandson Michael Cerier (Lauren) of Olathe, Kansas; her great-grandsons Landon and Lucas Cerier; and her granddaughter Laurel Cerier (Conrad Brown) of Chicago. She also leaves behind her nephew David Goodman (Janice) of Leawood, Kansas; nephew Laurence M. Cerier (Janet) of Phoenix, Arizona; niece Beth Cerier of Seattle, Washington, along with many cousins in Kansas City, Dallas, and Memphis, Tennessee.
A funeral service was held on July 7 in the Yukon Chapel at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 5529 Ditzler Ave, Raytown, MO. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or a charity of one’s choice.
