Ms Helen Elliot
March 30, 1922 ~ January 10, 2010
Helen Elliot passed away very peacefully Sunday, January 10,
2010 at 10:20 PM. She was surrounded by family and was able
to remain in her Orleans home until the very end as she would
have liked it. Helen was very proud of being an educator and
kept every Ramapo yearbook, including that of your 1958 class,
on the coffee table. She was, up until the very end, active
in running the senior center for Orleans and counseling seniors
on insurance issues. In many ways, Helen never thought of herself
as old and never asked for sympathy or help for herself, even
when she was gravely ill."
"Helen graduated from Douglas College and Columbia University,
and joined the Navy in WWII as a WAVE Lieutenant. She was one
of 4 siblings who served our country in WWII and one of the
first female naval officers, who at the time were classified
as WAVEs. She was stationed in Boston at the Boston Navy Yard
and was subsequently sent to Harvard and MIT to study physics.
With her science background, she participated in the development
of the then secret Navy radar systems that ultimately helped
win the war. After the war, Helen received her teaching certificate
and taught science at Ramapo HS until she retired. Helen bought
a house on Cape Cod in 1972 and has lived there full time since
retiring. She was a very special lady and influenced generations
of our family to focus on education and family. In all, Helen
always considered herself 'a teacher and nothing special'. We
always considered her a teacher and very special."
Helen will be cremated and her ashes placed with her brothers
and mother in NJ as per her wishes. If anyone cares to donate
anything in her name, she was always passionate about education
and helping people of all races, gender and social status."
Miss Elliot taught at Ramapo for 22 more years after we graduated.
She retired in 1980 to her home at the Cape. She soon got involved
in volunteer activities. Eleven years later she was named Orleans
Senior Citizen of the Year. She said that she was sure it was
due to the “Ramapo Class of 58’s influence. I learned from you
that nothing is impossible.”
Helen also volunteered in a thrift shop to support EMT’s training,
and was a SHINE counselor for Elder Services of Massachusetts.
She held office hours at the Senior Center and made house calls
for the home bound.
A celebration of Helen’s life was held at the Federated Church
in Orleans, May 1, 2010 at 2:00 PM.
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