Mar 9, 2009
Sundance Vacations Says Goodbye to Fellow Employee
Sundance Vacations experienced a huge loss on Thursday March 5th. A long term employee Helen Koval passed away from an illness. Helen was employed as the Assistant General Manager of Sundance Vacations. After running the Wilkes-Barre dayshift for many years she soon took over the Inbound and Confirmations Department. Helen touched the lives of many employees and everyone was deeply saddened by the news. “You don’t meet someone like Helen Koval every day. She was so much more than a coworker, she was a best friend. We shared secrets, dreams, and goals. I’m very fortunate to have worked with her for so many years. I’ll miss her more than words will allow me to express,” said Christina Allen.
There will be a memorial service in Helen’s honor on Tuesday, March 10th at 2:30. The service will be held at the corporate office, and all employees are invited to attend. If you have any memories or stories of Helen that you would like to share, please do.
Sundance Vacations sends their deepest condolences to the Koval family during this difficult time. “As a GM, Helen touched nearly every employee. She had incredible natural talent for managing people which made her extremely well loved at every level. We are distraught and saddened by the loss of this extraordinary woman. We ask for our customers understanding as we regain our composure and say goodbye during the memorial service set for Tuesday,” said Sundance Vacations Founders John and Tina Dowd.
God saw that she was getting tired
And a cure was not to be.
So he put his arms around her
And whispered, “Come with me”.
With tear filled eyes we watched her suffer
And fade away
Although we loved her deeply
We could not, make her stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands put to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only, takes the best.
By: Therese Williamson
Helen Koval and Christina Allen pictured at a Sundance Vacations Cristmas Party.
SHE ONLY KNEW ME AS “WHAT’S HER NAME” THAT SHE WOULD SEE WHILE SHE OUT HAVING A SMOKE. SHE MADE ME LAUGH WITH THAT. SHE WILL BE TRULY MISSED. ALL OF MY SINCEREST CONDOLENCES TO ALL OF HER FREINDS, FAMILY, AND CO-WORKERS.
EVEN THOUGH I WORKED FOR HELEN FOR A SHORT TIME. I LEARNED THAT SHE WAS A GREAT LEADER AND A VERY RESPECTED BOSS. SHE MADE YOU WANT TO WORK HARDER JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE A PART OF HER TEAM. HELEN YOU WILL TRULY BE MISSED BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN. TO THIS DAY I LET THE PHONE RING MORE THAN FIVE TIMES. THANKS FOR THE LESSON ON PATIENCE.
I sit here trying to put words to the feeling of loss resinating through SUNDANCE VACATIONS..Its seems there are no words to descibe the loss of someone so very important to so many! The feeling of loss isnt one of losing a co-worker but a family member. Helen was so much to not only the company but also the employees, whether it was the department she managed or any other department for that matter.. When I started in NEW CLIENT SERVICES I remember going for a break with her and she would tell me to just do my job do it well and everything will be fine..She always had a way to be straight to the point about EVERYTHING! For that and many other reasons Helen will bee sadly missed…. but NEVER FORGOTTEN.
Helen was nite shift phone room mgr.in 1998 when I started wkg.-she was mgr. on Saturdays when I wkd.-and I loved wkg.with her,she worked hard-and expected the same of those who worked with her-and you were guaranteed to make money if you followed her example.Her humor,patience,and her love of others will be something I’ll never forget,I feel truly blessed to have known her and worked for her-there will never be another Helen Koval.
I REALLLY DON’T KNOW WERE TO BEGIN. I WORKED UNDER HELEN FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. I JUST RECENTLY TRANFERRED OVER TO a different department. SHE WAS DEFINITELY A TOUGH COOKIE, BUT AS TOUGH AS SHE WAS SHE HAD A HEART. SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU AND SUPPORTED YOU. I REMEMBER ALL THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD. WE USE TO GO TO THE WATERING HOLE OR TGI FRIDAYS’S AFTER WORK ON A FRIDAY AND HAVE A FEW DRINKS TOGETHER AND JUST LAUGHED AND HAD A GOOD TIME AND LEFT WORK BEHIND. I’LL NEVER FORGET OUR GOOD TIMES OR BAD.BUT THE ONE THING I MUST SAY SHE WAS A GOOD BOSS AND TAUGHT ME ALOT.SHE WILL BE DEFINITELY MISSED BY ALL. IT’S HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE BUT SHE IS IN A BETTER PLACE NOW AND I’N SURE SHE’S WATCHING OVER US RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK.MY HEART GOES OUT TO HER FAMILY.. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!
I will never forget Helen. She hired me on a Tuesday by 10am that day she had me on the phone. I had alot of laughs in the phone and made alot of money thanks to Helen. In the phone room she would want to be mad at me but I would just make her laugh and she would give in with that winning smile and I was safe. When she first got sick, I started not feeling well and Helen was always asking me if I was ok and would ask my daughter if I was ok. Yelling at me to see another Doctor. She came to my wedding and had a great time. She got Ron’s big beads (those of you dont know I was married on St Patty’s Day) and danced . I have great pictures of her and Phil. She will be very missed from so many people . Her family should be so proud how many lifes she has touch. ………I will miss her very much. That poem says it all….
Helen will be sadly missed by all. I have worked with Helen for many years and we seemed to have shared a lot in common: we both worked for Sundance for many years, we were often the first in the office every morning, we both have been known to manage our departments with an iron fist, we both wear a lot of jewelry (although she always had me beat!), we tanned at the same tanning bed, drank the same beer, often shared smoke breaks together, we both loved to travel, we often would pick up a lighter for each other whenever we took a vacation to somewhere the other hasn’t been, and neither one of us ever started out the morning with out a nice hot cup of tea!
This morning while making a fresh cup of tea, I though of how much I miss sharing a few moments every morning with Helen. I scribbled out a quick poem about what Helen meant to me. I was happy to be able to post it today on this blog to share with everyone.
Helen Koval, like a cup of tea,
tasteful, strong , full of energy
Helen Koval, like the tea in this cup,
always with in arms reach and ready to pick you up
Helen Koval, often soothing , sometimes hot,
Helen Koval will never, ever be forgot.
Helen, I will miss you. My prayers and thoughts go out to your friends and family who are sharing in this loss. You’ll always be an inspiration to me. You’ll always be my cup of tea!
She was a very nice lady to me and was always there if i needed someone to talk to. She could always make me laugh about something whenever i went on a break with her. I will miss her and so will everyone else. My condolences and prays go out to all her family, friends, and coworkers.
Helen was be missed by so many. I will miss the many talks we had and she always made me laugh. I used to walk out with her at the end of my day when she would be going on break and she always put a smile on my face. May god bless her family and friends.
What I will remember most about Helen is what she brought to Sundance Vacations - her beautiful and fun personality. She made working here that much more fun. She was a very positive person, which gave me (and others in the office, I’m sure) a more positive outlook about work and about life in general. Helen, you will be greatly missed. I wish her family my condolences.
I missed Helen from the day she wasn’t here. She took me under her wing from the first day I worked here and she always made me feel I could go to her with anything. She was a pillar and has added to so very many people that I’m sure her strength will continue on in many directions.
Lots of Love for you Helen.
I’ve only been with Sundance Vacations for a little over a year however, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and become friends with Helen. Though I’ve only known Helen for a short time, and I don’t have a pocket full of memories, I got to know so many of the little things about her. I know she loved to be tan(something we both share), she loved gold jewelry and always wore a lot of it, she loved spaghetti and would bring it to work at least once a week, she loved to gamble, and most of all I know if I ever needed a quick word of advice she would give it to me straight up!! I will miss Helen’s words of wisdom and seeing her face everyday. My thoughts and prayers are with Helen and her family during this very hard time.
When someone we love passes away,
We ache, but we go on;
Our dear departed would want us to heal,
After they are gone.
Grief is a normal way to mend
The anguish and pain in our hearts;
We need time to remember and time to mourn,
Before the recovery starts.
Let’s draw together to recuperate,
As we go throught this period of sorrow;
Let’s help each other, with tender care
To find a brighter tomorrow.
I started almost 10 years ago,hired by Helen @the laird street office.I thought wow shes a hard person to work for,but then getting to know her u see the real side. a caring,loving, great person. She took me in tought me everything i know in order to succeed in my job.I will never forget her for that.My prayers are with her love of her life Phil. And my thoughts are with Tracy & Kimmi and thier families. Well as helen would say get on the PHONE!!!
I’ve only been with Sundance for going on a year in May.. but Helen is definately a HUGE reason for me being where i am. She had something about her that just made me smile. She was straight up and a no nonsense kind of person. She was tough but always with good reason and GREAT intention. I will never forget how one day [a Thursday] she poked me in the stomach with her cane and said to me “You’re doin good here kid.”.. i’ve been with the RS/Conf department for a little over a month when she said it and i knew i had only 3 shows so far for the week [ON THURSDAY!]. So i said to her “Me?!”.. she looked at me and said.. “I meant last week. DO BETTER.” She was always like that. Giving you credit for the good, and making SURE you’d keep it up. She was a motivator. Such a great person that will be truly deeply missed. Not a day goes by that I haven’t thought of her pushing me to reach greatness. She’s very much missed and never ever forgotten. Like Ben said, she’s truly my inspiration.
Thoughts & prayers to her and her family and lots of love to my boss Tracy.
Helen Koval was one of the first persons that I met after joining Dowd Marketing. I can remember that Tina and John had asked her to train me with reference to the call center. She refused. Later, I found that she was frightened of me. Strange how things work, in that, Helen became my closest friend at Sundance. Our business relationship was always dynamic. I knew that I could always bounce ideas off her and she would give me a very stright forward answer. Sometimes, in true Helen fashion, too straight forward. But the one thing that I always knew was that the comment came from her heart, because Helen put every ounce of her being into Sundance. I will miss my friend. I will miss her 6:30 am start times, her tirades, her ability to lead, her drive, her smile, her hand in my face saying “whatever”, her pounds of jewelry dangling from her wrist and fingers,and, most of all, her genuine kindness that we all felt often. Godspeed, Helen Koval, I will never forget you.
There aren’t many people out there who are strong and courageous. I don’t know many who are generous with their time. Few have inspired me to be better today than yesterday. Fewer still have made me laugh until I cried.
We are all sharing in a great loss. To me she was more than a mentor, she was a friend. My morning always began with a phone call to her and a “Good morning, sunshine!” It was nothing but uplifting, the only way to start off a day. And if you knew her, you knew she wouldn’t want it any other way.
Helen, I will miss you forever.
I sit here and think how can I sum up all my wonderful experiences with Helen. I have known Helen for quite awhile. She lived in my neigborhood and she become my manager when i was 19 years old. Helen has helped me to grow so much throughout the years. She could make me laugh, make me cry, tick me off and pick me up. She was one of those people that you hated to love but it was something that you couldn’t help. She could give you that look and you would burst out laughing as if you two shared some kind of private joke. Everyone knew her predictable lunch schedule and you can bet on what days she would bring in Phil’s meatloaf or a big bowl of spaghetti. I knew that if it was spaghetti day someone would be heading over to McDonald’s to get Helen a side salad with French dressing. Helen was the toughest boss that you could work for but it was worth it when you took home your paycheck. She would expect nothing less then the best from her employees and if they didn’t give their best she would shake it out of them. Helen would hand out the praise when you deserved it and you knew that she meant everything she said. I could go on forever with great stories about Helen. She was someone who wasn’t just my boss she was also a great mentor and friend. I basically grew up during my time here at Sundance and Helen had been there every step of the way. I will miss Helen more then words will ever begin to express and I hope that she knew how special she always was to me.
From the moment i was hired by Helen she guided me to my fullest potential. When i learned of my pregnancy she announced it with excitement. She was the second person i called after my daughter was born. I not only looked up to Helen as a supervisor but as a strong women, a good mother and a friend. She will forever remain in my prayers. Although out of sight she continues to help me to earn my fullest potential. Thank you Helen for believing in me.
I have many good memories of Helen but I’m not going to write about any specific one. Instead I’m just going to say what a truly wonderful person she was and we are all better having known her. Well Maybe I will talk about one memory that does come to mind, and thats when Helen was a marketer on the Wilkes Barre nightshift and the “Top Marketer” got to pie a manager of his or her choice in the face. Well, I thought nobody would ever pie sweet me! Helen was the top marketer and I still thought “No Way” well needless to say I had lemon pie in my hair all night! She said she picked me because I thought she would’nt. We laughed about that for a long time. God bless you and your family Helen.
I never thought I’d ever have to put into words what Helen means to me. Helen Koval was a very strong woman, with lots of gold jewelry and a big mouth heheh, but she had an even bigger heart. She’s made me laugh and cry more than I could count. She always knew what to say to get me motivated or to calm me down. I’m am so very lucky that Helen was there to help me grow up for the past 9 years. And I’m going to miss her so very very much.
Helen,I only wish I could have had the chance to work with you.I did get to see your determination during our fundraiser last yr and your bowling tournament.You never stopped selling both till the end. Fun times. You truely are missed!!! I would also like to say ,people suprise me every day and not allways in a good way. Well every moment @ the memorial did,in a good way that is. what company does that, and with so many that care and spoke the joys of one person. I was honestly blown away. It could not have gone any smoother or more beautiful. Sundance-Great Job!
I was fortunate enough to meet helen being an inbound, and with the company for over 8 years, everything she taught me i will keep in my heart forever, helen will never be forgotton, my thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
Ive been with the company for almost 4 years now since i was 16 and the only reason i got the job there was b/c of helen, she has done so much for me from letting me go to highschool quit and always have a spot for me when i returned.got me my inbound job, and she will be greatly missed and i appreciated.I could talk to helen about almost anything and she would listen and give me advice like a best friend.But i will never forget the day when she wouldnt let me go to that concert. but all i knoe is that she will be in my memories forever and i will never forget Helen Koval.
It took me a while to understand Helen, but once I did, I found a wonderful friend. She never asked you for more than she was willing to give. She gave 100% to family, friends, work and play. She wasn’t capable of doing anything less and wouldn’t allow you to give less. I know Helen will not be physically present at Sundance again, but I feel her spirit everyday. Just remember Helen, you owe me an “all nighter” at the casino…someday…love you and love to your family.
Very sad to lose this wonderful and courageous lady.My deepest sympathy to her family from mine