Helga Mueller Hackett, age 73, died September 9, 2016 at Red River, NM after a sudden illness while she was on vacation. She was preceded in death by her parents, Emmi Hartwig Mueller and Otto-Georg Mueller; and her two brothers, Hansi and Michael. She was born in the rural town of Gardelegen, East Germany. She and her family moved to East Berlin, Germanyin 1946 near her grandparents, Walli and Georg Mueller, who were prominent at that time. In 1951 her entire family fled to West Berlin since the Socialistic East German Government was in the process of taking over the entire population and properties, including her grandparent''s lumber company. This was 10 years prior to the wall going up on August 13, 1961 which divided East and West Germany. Her family lost everything and had to make a new life in West Berlin. Helga attended high school, business school and English correspondence courses, and went on to work in accounting. In June 1964 she met her husband, Andrew Hackett who was stationed with the US Air Force in Berlin-Tempelhof. They were married in Berlin on June 23, 1965. They were married for a total of 51 years. Shortly after that she moved to the USA to live with his parents in St. Augustine, FL for one year while he finished his Air Force tour at an isolated radar site near Blaine, WA next to the Canadian border. In 1966 they relocated to Memphis, TN where Helga worked for Methodist Healthcare for 36 years in the business office until retirement in April of 2003. Her passions were traveling, crocheting, writing, family photo albums, coins and stamps. She was of the Lutheran Faith. She leaves her devoted husband, Andrew C. Hackett; one daughter, Amy Hackett Whitley (Chris); two grandsons, Max and Samuel; one granddaughter, Emma Rose; all of Cary, NC; plus several relatives and dear friends in Germany and USA. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the Salvation Army or the charity of your choice. Visitation will be 9:45 a.m. Thursday, September 15 until service begins at 11:15 a.m. Forest Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, East. Private interment will be in West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery on Forest Hill-Irene Road, Memphis, TN.

Forest Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, East
(901) 382-1000