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 Ray and Helen Fretz left an enormous legacy in so many ways – from the fortune they left to help others, to the many lives they touched. Adeline Topel, a friend and neighbor for 31 years, speaks very fondly of Ray and Helen. “They were just a really nice couple. They didn’t have children, but they spent a lot of time with my kids and we all have great memories of Ray and Helen,” says Adeline.
Ray started out as a banker in Conrad and then spent the next 15 years as an accountant in Great Falls before opening his own business. Helen was a teacher in Conrad and Livingston before marrying Ray Fretz in 1927. Most of their married life was spent living quietly at 1405 2nd Avenue North in Great Falls. Ray died in 1978 and Helen continued to live in the same home until she entered Park Place Nursing Home in the late 1980’s. Helen died in 1998.
Adeline Topel says they lived very modestly and never felt the need to replace appliances or furnishings. “Helen’s house looked the same all those years. Material things just didn’t matter to them.”Ray and Helen Fretz amassed fortune, with much of it being left to Benefis Healthcare Foundation to help improve cancer care in Great Falls. On a recent tour of the SCI, Adeline said somewhat wistfully, “I wish Ray and Helen could be here to see how their gift has been used. Both were wonderful gardeners and would have been so pleased to see their name recognized in the Healing Garden. They were kind, generous people who cared deeply about others and it is nice to have that appreciation shown in such a lasting way.”
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