Dear Yoon family,
It is with true sadness that I just heard of the passing of Helen. She was so very kind and sweet, and our interactions were always thoughtful and so pleasant. I’m sending as much comfort as you can hold, and so many blessings to her beautiful soul.
She was very loved. We will miss her terribly. Please receive the abundant love of our caring community at this time. Topanga is with you and we will carry Helen’s kindness in our hearts always. She was a gift to our town.
Love
Sea

Dear Simon and family and everyone at the General store 
I am a regular customer at your store - have lived her for several years and go there most days fir something or another. 
I’m so very very sorry for your terrible loss.  Helen is and was truly such a radiant, angelic presence, always  so kind, and sweet and made time for everyone  in such a genuine way. I’m so sorry that I did not realise she was not well.
She will forever be a loving presence, her sweet soul  felt every time anyone comes in. May her name and memory always be a Blessing. Wishing you all Long Life

Dear Simon, Lauren and Michael,
We truly cherished Helen as such a light and loving spirit in Topanga. We have lived in town for the past 12 years and she was always kind and welcoming and would ask about my husband and our growing children. She was so proud of her own children  too. Beyond our family, she was generous and kind to many of our homeless and elderly residents. We will truly miss her and wish you comfort in her loss. We will always hold her in our hearts.  With love, Alisa, Kent, Rebecca and Kristian Land Hill

The day Helen passed I went to beach !;) 
Helen was such bright light in all our life's ! 
She was always a great supporter of All my endeavors , like selling my book ! ThAnkyou Helen ;) I will surly miss you ! And grateful to know you ;) 

Helen, thank you for being the sweet woman you were, thank you for watching me grow and always being kind and supportive :) 

Love, Barbara & Cora Altman

Helen you are already so missed here in the canyon. Seeing your bright beautiful smile at the general store always brightened my day. And I know your bright beaming light is continuing to shine bigger than ever. 
Thank you for being so loving, so sweet 
always wanting to know how I was doing, I loved seeing you and talking with you and thank you for making sure you had my favorite chocolate. 
Sending my love to you Simon and all the family. All of you are such an important part of our community 
Sending love to all of you 
♥️♥️♥️

My heart breaks for Simon, Lauren and Michael, I am filled with grief for your loss and will hold all of you in prayer as you make this difficult journey.

Prayers and any support I can offer to you and the staff of our beloved Topanga Market, where we all are family: we hold you in the Love, that you so generously have offered our community.

Helen made me feel so confident as a mom. She always was hugely complimentary of my son and our family. I am so sad she is gone. Our son loved her so much. He smiled today at her photo in town, I could see his 22 month old mind thinking through happy memories with her daily at the general store.  I know her vibrant spirit lives on especially in town where she was a ray of sunshine and embodiment of light for so many. 
We miss you Helen.

Love,
Lily, Townsend, and baby Wade

Helen, of all the places in the world Topanga has really felt like home. Why? Because of human angels like you. The relentless kindness and consistency you brought each day through our market interactions felt like sisterhood, neighbors, and champions of each other all in one. You always worked so hard I’d tell you to go on vacation, so now at eternal rest I do hope it’s somewhere tropical. Losing you has been hard for even relative strangers, and so I can only imagine what your dear family is going through right now. I’m sending you and them the most heartfelt embrace 💜

Sometimes in life we have the privilege to cross paths with someone who instantly makes us feel calm, safe, refreshed, alive, and vibrant. They encourage our dreams and celebrate our wins without an ounce of jealousy. They just want what’s best for us, and do whatever they can to fan our inner flame. They are warm and bright, loving and loyal. We can’t help but feel authentically happy in their presence, like the best version of ourselves. I had the honor of having that privilege when you came into my life, in our young and free teenager age. You were the friend who taught me the meaning of true friendship, compassion and loyalty. I am sure you’ve touched so many people’s heart in this world. I can still hear your soft voice and the giggles. Your friendship meant the world to me. Thank you for accepting me exactly how I am… and loving me for it. 
Rest in peace, my beautiful Helen. I promise you that I will do my best to look after your family. I am so grateful to have known you. I love you eternally. I will see you again soon.

My dear brother Simon, I can’t express the sorrow I feel for your loss. You and Helen have been very special to me since arriving in the canyon. I will never forget my laughs and fun talks with your sweet Helen. She will forever be in my heart and so will you. Big warm hug to you and your lovely family. Your San

Helen was unfailingly friendly, helpful and efficient, treating everyone she served with respect. She was a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. Topanga will miss her and I wish Simon and their children strength as they heal from such a loss.

With kind wishes, Linda & Roger Ilsley

Dear Simon,
My heart aches for you, your children and all who knew Helen through the market. We have lost a beautiful soul but, as you say, she will always be in our hearts. I pray that you are comforted however and wherever you find it. 
Flavia Potenza
The Canyon Chronicle
(310) 526-1203

I loved Helen.  When my son was having trouble at school she encouraged me to keep my head up.  She shared her own experiences of being a mom to her daughter and son who she was so very proud of and told me not to worry, that it would all work out.  She gave me the strength and perspective to help my son.  I am a better mom because of her.  I wish I could have told her how much that kindness meant to me.  I miss her.

I am so sorry to hear about Helen passing . she was such a great person ,she always had a smile on her face was always friendly talking , asking about others ...she was working so hard in the store but she was always in a good mood and always asking about how everyone else was doing . I had no idea she was struggling with cancer .I will miss her a lot and all my thoughts are with her family .
rest in peace dear Helen

A tribute I wrote for Helen:
The sun is shining in Topanga today but there is a huge shadow being cast. 
I wanted to express my deepest condolences to Simon, his 2 kids, family and friends and all those who came to know Helen from Topanga Grocery. 
I found out yesterday that she passed last Friday, December 29 from complications of breast cancer. 
She was a sweet and kind soul. 
I often joked with her that more than providing sustenance through the food they conveniently offered to our community the people in line were not only there waiting to check out but also to have their therapy session with her. 
I could see she had a special way of interacting and acknowledging the uniqueness of each individual. 
Making them feel her friendship and kindness with her smile, laughter and conversation. 
She will be sorely missed. 
A friend asked me this morning why the “scoundrels” (to put it nicely) live long lives and the good ones seem to die young?”
After thinking about it I sent him my theory. 
Often I think it’s hard for good souls, the ones who feel, to live in this world. It is easy to be wholly dismayed, distraught and distracted by the daily pounding, reinforcement, magnification and perpetuation of the suffering. 
It takes its toll. 
There’s a reason “Amazing Grace”… how sweet the sound is and will always be sung. That which saves us from the appearance of darknesses omnipresence and reminds us that in fact even the smallest light can push away the darkness in that space where it is. 
Helen did that. ♥️

Topanga lost a little bit of its heart when Helen passed. We all loved Helen and looked forward to seeing her sunny smile and always helpful manner at the General Store. 
Rest in peace sweet angel. 

Lori Precious and Family (Topanga)

A bright light with a presence of clarity, bristling with life, nurturing energy, and delight. So glad to have shared time, space, and stories with you. Thank you for your kindness and caring spirit. May your family grow strong and preserve this legacy with the gifts they inherited from you.

Sending my love to the Yoon family. Helen was such a bright spirit and always smiled when I walked into Topanga General store. She was helpful in getting me a job during the pandemic. She loved talking to me about her kids and ramen and treated our family with such kindness.  She treated us as if we were her own family. Will miss her smiling face. Rest in peace Helen!

As a Topanga Canyon resident for over 4 years, I think I speak for many in the community when I say how fond we were of Helen. Her sense of humor was especially appreciated during the pandemic when her's was usually the only familiar face I saw while out on supply runs. While we didn't know each other well, I will always be thankful to her, Simon, their family, and lovely staff for making the neighborhood feel special. Sending my deepest condolences to them during this time. 

Sincerely,

Marielle Stobie

Helen,
I miss your beautiful smile when I walked through the door at Topanga Market. You would always embrace me with a hug and ask me how I was doing how my family is doing how my mother is doing, and I never thought to ask you how you were doing. You always cared about everyone’s lives, and was always always their biggest cheerleader. I will miss you forever and ever and hope one day I get to see you again. Keep that smile and save me a hug. Love you so much and miss you 
Irit Goldstein

Helen was a member of the Topanga community, not by residence, but because of the store. She always had a smile for customers. During emergencies she and Simon kept the store open to support the residents. She will be missed greatly.

My beautiful Helen,
I don’t know if you realized that you were one of my most favorite people and most cherished friends I had in this world. Oh geez did we laugh a lot and cracking each other up so much that are cheeks hurt and tears of joy would roll down our faces. Not to sure the people standing behind me in line appreciated it too much but we apologized and laughed more.  One of my favorite mom stories between us was when you told me you would scare your kids when you drop them off at school and tell them they better not get into any trouble because if they did, you would see them. You told him I’m hiding right up in that tree and I see everything! Are your favorite Mother’s Day gift from Simon 500 bucks and purchases online don’t worry we’re all gonna hold him up and your children too. With your daughter I was really thinking about her and how much you would want to say to her now. More than any other thing that is so amazing big busy and a full happy life the first thing I want you to do is always remember to practice self care. You have to always put yourself care first. You have a beautiful family and a loving community and a really good girlfriend that is going to miss your smile and your kindness on a daily basis. But I feel you with me right now and I know you’re with them. I’m just gonna miss you a lot and I love you a lot well until I see you again. But you know I’m still gonna talk to you all the time. Well, I’m still still on this planet and you better be listening and you better be laughing. 
Your dear friend, forever,
Erica and her sweet girl Kai

Hwae Jin aka Helen but u will always be Hwae Jin to me.  Our family will never be the same without u in it...u will always be in our ❤️.
❤️ u very much cousin...until we meet again.
Angie

The community of Topanga is hit hard by this loss. Our heart goes out to Simon and the family.  That Helen was such a fundamental part of our community,  speaks to the weight she surely carried in her own family. We are here for you.

OBITUARY

Helen Yoon

October 1, 1975 – December 29, 2023

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Helen Yoon

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