Long-time county aide Opal Hellweg to retire

Opal Hellweg, legislative assistant for Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington, will retire at the end of December. She has served district residents for nearly 20 years.

While she and husband, Dean, will travel and devote more time to their gardening, Opal also plans to continue to serve even with the advent of retirement. In typical Opal fashion, she intends to become an ombudsman for long-term care residents.

“I’ll advocate for seniors in facilities,” she said proudly.

Washington described Opal’s determination to assist others. “Opal is a 3rd District institution, and she has served me and our community with commitment, compassion and care.”

Even before beginning her 3rd District support, she was attending to residents as the director of the Kay Ceniceros Senior Center in Menifee. And before that effort, in 1987, Opal and Dean started and ran a restaurant in Hemet for years. But the urge to serve blossomed; she was a United Way volunteer and a retired senior volunteer before managing the Ceniceros Center.

Despite all of this devotion to central Riverside County, she cannot fully call herself a native Californian. In late 1957, almost 64 years ago, she was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her father was in the military, so Opal and her siblings moved around — around the world.

One of her favorite temporary homes was Guam. Of course, a return visit is on her “to-do” list.

During her Riverside County career, Hellweg has had the pleasure of working with the last three 3rd District supervisors — Jim Venable, Jeff Stone and now, Washington.

This path started during her time at the Kay Ceniceros Center in which she had several interactions with Venable. Within a year, his Chief of Staff Mary Moreland called Hellweg and invited her to join Venable’s staff.

In 2005, after Stone took office, Hellweg moved to the county’s Economic Development Agency and worked for Suzanne Holland, now director. And again, her community work and efforts often overlapped Stone’s. Within a year, his chief of staff, Verne Lauritzen, called and offered her a position on Stone’s staff.

“We will always remember Opal for the immeasurable knowledge and relationships she cultivated in the service of three different supervisors and, on a personal note, Opal will always occupy a special place in my heart,” Washington said.

Among her many projects, one of her favorite memories is the creation, planning, building and opening of the Idyllwild Library. Nine years later, the Idyllwild Library remains one of the most active on a per-capita basis. But it took more than a decade to finally construct and open the new facility and Opal was involved most of the way.

“It was my first meeting in Idyllwild,” she noted. “I met Pete Capparelli and the whole group. Adele Voell [former president of Friends of the Idyllwild Library] was lovely. The project was interesting for its challenges.”

In describing her time on the district staffs, Hellweg said, “The most rewarding part of the work was the interaction with people, especially during the pandemic.” She and Washington’s staff spent one weekend making vaccine appointments for Idyllwild residents.

“The gratitude of those folk” was overwhelming, she added.

Opal participated in the county’s involvement with the Idyllwild Community Center projects and assisting local businesses during the highways 74 and 243 closures in 2019.

Another example of Opal’s devotion to helping people in need involved a recently widowed woman. She was in her 80s, but hard to understand. She was lonely, having lost her husband and living on $850 per month, Opal began.

Opal went to visit her since she was unable to get out easily. As a favor, the woman asked her to read aloud some of her old correspondence from her husband. The letters were from 1964 to 1966, while he was in the Navy.

Opal read every letter and learned that his ship had actually gone into Vietnam, and they had done some time on the ground. When he died, Veteran Affairs denied his wife several benefits since he was deemed a sailor without combat time.

But Opal appealed and proved he had been involved in land action. The result was a $1,550 per month increase in benefits.

“It been a rewarding career,” she said in summary.

And Michelle DeArmond, Washington’s recently former chief of staff, said, “Opal brings a special passion and commitment to her job that shows in all she does. She has a deep level of care and concern for the constituents of the 3rd District, and I know she will be sorely missed in the office and the community.”