Helene Shepanek; German Teacher, CIA Translator

Helene A. Shepanek, 78, professor emeritus of German studies at American University and a former French and German teacher and translator for the CIA, died March 17 of complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She lived in McLean.

Mrs. Shepanek, who taught at American University from 1972 until retiring in 1992, brought to the classroom the richness of her experiences as a German native, underground fighter during World War II and translator for the CIA in the 1950s and 1960s.

Many of her students saw her as more than a language professor, said Alan H. Fleischmann, who added that he "started off as a student and came to be family."

"She became an extraordinary mentor to her students," Fleischmann said. "She made a point to know each one of them," assessing their skills and potential.

She was born Helene Heiss in Regensburg, Germany.

Her father, Alphons Heiss, was the Lord High Mayor of Regensburg, elected just after World War II, and her grandfather, David Heidecker, was the first rabbi of Regensburg.

Her mother, Alice Heidecker Heiss, a graduate of the University of Munich, died in Auschwitz helping others escape.

Her father spoke out against Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, which also made her a target, Fleischmann said.

For two years during the war, she was in hiding and always "one day away from the Gestapo" catching up with her, he said.

At the end of World War II, she met and married U.S. Army intelligence officer Norbert Shepanek. She came to the United States with her husband about 1946 and later returned to live in Germany when he served abroad in the CIA.

She graduated from the University of Munich and was an accomplished concert pianist who played in several European cities. In later years, she played socially.

In 1973, she received a master's degree in German studies from AU. While in graduate school, she began teaching and came to be called affectionately "the Frau."

Her husband died in 1994.

Survivors include a son, Marc Shepanek of Washington.

-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb