elevated U7ncR September 1, 1938 – January 13, 2025

elevated U7ncR Visitation
Friday, January 24, 2025 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm

elevated U7ncR Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 10:30am to 11:45am

elevated U7ncR Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6

elevated U7ncR Funeral Mass (Within the Funeral Home)
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 12:00pm
Chapel of St. Joseph at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6

elevated U7ncR Interment
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
8361 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON, L3T 2C7

elevated U7ncR Section: 10

elevated U7ncR Reception (Within the Funeral Home)
Following the Interment from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home Lower Level
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6

elevated U7ncR Obituary

Beloved mother and grandmother, Helen Cocchio (née Jablonicky), 86, of North York, passed away peacefully January 13, 2025, with a handful of those that loved her by her side. 

Helen was born on September 1, 1938 in Toronto, to parents Annie (née Petrik) and Louis Jablonicky, both immigrants from Czechoslovakia who traveled to Canada as strangers separately in 1929. 

Meeting in Toronto, Annie and Louis married in 1934 and had three daughters, Veronica, Helen and Elizabeth. Growing up on Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market, Helen and her sisters attended Dundas Elementary then Eatonville Junior School. After her family moved to North Toronto, Helen attended Bedford Park Public School, then St. Monica Catholic School, followed by Northern Secondary School. While working to complete her high school diploma in the evenings at Jarvis Collegiate Institute, Helen studied the Stanislavski method of acting under famed acting coach and actor Eli Rill of the Actors Studio New York. Early in her career, Helen was an expeditor for the CBC before auditioning and being accepted as one of CBC’s staff actors. 

In 1962, Helen welcomed her first child, Anne Jablonicky. While raising Anne as a single mother, Helen obtained her real estate license in 1964. Beginning her new career at Tula Real Estate at Yonge and Finch, Helen focused on commercial properties, particularly influencing developments along Sheppard Avenue and Finch Avenue in North York throughout the decades. 

In 1970, Helen married World War 2 veteran Douglas Cocchio. They had three children together, Cathy, Chris and Caroline Cocchio. After becoming a widow in 1979, Helen continued to raise her four children as a single mother, while also caring for her aging father. As the heart of the family, Helen worked tirelessly to provide for her children, and as they grew, their partners and her grandchildren, too. Taking over her father’s house in 1987, Helen continued to have an open door policy to anyone in the family who wanted or needed to call Addington their home. 

With her unwavering passion and deep knowledge about real estate, Helen was a trusted licensed agent for over 60 years. She received numerous recognitions and awards over her career, and was always excited to talk to anyone about what was going on in the market. Up until her passing, Helen was a proud agent at Remax Realtron on Willowdale Avenue for over 30 years. 

Helen is survived by her sister Elizabeth (Betty) Cenanovic, her four children Anne Jablonicky, Cathy Stea (née Cocchio), Chris Cocchio, and Caroline Cocchio, her grandchildren Brianna Stea, Damen Stea, Justin Cocchio, Vincent Cocchio, Evan McGregor, Leila McGregor, and Katie Wilson, all her nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues. 

Honoured pallbearers will be Anne Jablonicky, Cathy Stea, Caroline Cocchio, Damen Stea, Evan McGregor, and Michael McGregor. 

Those wishing to share 2-4 minutes of memories or words of kindness about Helen with guests during the reception are invited to do so. Please inform Caroline or Anne if you wish to share. 

elevated U7ncR Memorials or donations may be made to CNIB or the Canadian Cancer Society. Flowers are welcome to arrive for Friday.  

elevated U7ncR