Lebanon, N.H. —
She attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. until she joined the service from June, 1943 to October, 1945 as a WAC. She was trained as a Lab. Technician and Photographer at Lowery Field, Denver, Colo., followed by an assignment with a B25 Air Base in Greenville, S.C. and then at the Pentagon where she processed aerial film from the European Theater. From there she was assigned to the Far East Service Command in Holandia, New Guinea and Manila, assigned to Radio and Cable Service.
After the war, she completed her Music Education degree, taught Elementary Music and Strings in Winchester, Mass., earned her Master’s Degree in Music Ed. from Boston University, and worked as the of Director Music in the Hanover, N.H. school district until retiring in 1984.
She was a charter member of the N.H. Chapter of the American String Teachers Assoc. and was a member of both the N.H. and National Music Educators Assoc. She participated in the European and American String Teachers Conferences in Switzerland and Austria.
She was a 50-year member of Delta Kappa Gamma International and served as president of the local Beta Chapter. Helen’s community activities included playing with the Boston Civic Symphony, the Dartmouth Symphony and the Hanover Chamber Orchestra and being an active a member of the Enfield Historical Society.
She was an avid skier and hiker and was a camp counselor. She taught her nieces to ski and spent many winters with them on the slopes. In later years, she became a “rock hound”, traveling across the U.S. with two friends. She was a quilter and made many quilts for her family and friends, as well as Lutheran World Relief.
In 2011, Helen moved to Harvest Hill and became involved in many of the activities there. She started a choral group and pursued her love of writing in several classes offered there. Helen wrote her WWII memoir and multiple children’s stories and family histories which she claimed “helped keep my brain active.”
She is survived by her nieces and their husbands, Judith (Goodwin) and Richard Schneider, Joan (Goodwin) and Stephen Tarleton, Candace Goodwin and Rick Blauvelt; her nephews, Robert Porcello, Joseph and Karen Porcello and John Porcello; and many grand and great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 at the Community Lutheran Church in Enfield, N.H.
Knight funeral home in White River Junction has been entrusted with arrangements. Condolences to Helen’s family may be expressed in an online guestbook at www.knightfuneralhomes.com.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to: David’s House, PO Box 660, Lebanon, NH 03766.