Helen Duncan Donaldson was born to Scottish immigrants on the 10th of September 1926 in Scranton, PA. She passed away peacefully on July 20, 2024. Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Richard "Dick" Donaldson, her parents, William Brown Duncan and Elizabeth Young Duncan of West Haven, her sister, Janet Scott of Bethany, and her brother Thomas Duncan of Arizona.

Helen met the love of her life, Richard (Dick) Donaldson, in school where he sat in front of her. At the time, her teacher sat the students in alphabetical order by last name. Richard Donaldson sat directly in front of Helen Duncan. It wasn't until her friend, Marion (who happened to be Richard's younger sister), needed an extra friend for a party that she was hosting that they began dating.

After high school, Helen planned to attend New Haven State Teachers' College in the fall of 1945, but she did not receive her acceptance letter in time, so decided instead to attend Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Brooklyn, New York. That decision single handedly changed the trajectory of her life in the greatest way possible. The women she met during orientation became some of her best, life-long friends. She adored being a nurse and would correct people when they would use the past tense when referring to her, "You were a nurse." instead of, "You are a nurse". According to Helen, she practiced nursing for 76 years, even though she retired from the Hospital of Saint Raphael's in 1986. "Once a nurse, always a nurse!"

Helen and Dick married on November 20, 1948. They had four beautiful children together: Candace born in 1949, Cyndi born in 1950, Gayle born in 1953, and Rich born in 1964.They began their life together in West Haven, but worked hard and saved their money to build
their own home in Hamden where Helen lived independently until she was nearly 98 years old.
Helen and Dick were happily married for 54 years.

Helen was an avid traveler visiting such places as the Canary Islands, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. She and Dick enjoyed camping and spent their winters (once retired) in their RV enjoying the warm Florida sunshine. One of the best memories Helen would
share was the camping trip out west that she, Dick, and their four children took in the summer of 1965. She kept a journal during that time to remember the price of things, the places they visited, and the people they met. She would share that when they visited Las Vegas she lost a quarter in a slot machine and vowed she would never gamble again. In the summer of 2007, Helen, who at the time was 81 years old, spent a month camping with one of her granddaughters in some of the US National Parks out west.

Helen truly lived her life in the service of others. She knitted prayer shawls for patients at St. Raphael's (her last one was delivered this past June), she picked up & delivered library books for residents in Hamden who were homebound, she volunteered at St. Ann's Soup Kitchen, and
she drove people to and from their appointments. She baked non-stop…apple, blueberry, or pumpkin pies, coffee cakes, fudge ribbon cakes, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies. If you were visiting, you could expect a delicious baked good fresh out of the oven.

Above all, Helen's greatest joy was her family. She was truly the matriarch. She loved her children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. She loved spending time with them- whether it was to attend a wedding out on the Oregon coast, or to meet a new baby, enjoy
a slice of sausage apizza from Zuppardi's, road trip down to Florida to escape the snow, or a quick trip to the Dollar Tree, she was in for the adventure. Her life was a wonderful adventure.

Friends and family are invited to the Hamden Memorial Funeral Home, 1300 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden on Wednesday, August 21st from 4-7pm to celebrate Helen's life. A visitation will be held on Thursday, August 22nd at Hamden Memorial Funeral Home from 10:30am-11am. Funeral services will Start at 11am Burial will follow at Beaverdale Memorial Park in Hamden. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made, Payable to CT NHG Linda Rolstone Treasure in care of Helen Donaldson, 88 Kimberly Road, Newington, Connecticut. Condolences may be expressed at Hamdenmemorialfuneralhome.com