Sydney
We, the family, are heartbroken to announce that Helen Carroll-Donnelly died on Saturday, December 24, 2022, after a breathtakingly short battle with cancer.
Helen was born in Whitney Pier on August 19, 1949, and was predeceased by her mother, Anne Carroll (nee Dunn); father, Paul Carroll; brother, Kevin; sister, Donna; husband, Frank Donnelly, and granddaughter, Erica Tate.
Helen, a graduate of JE Burke High School in Dorchester, MA, was, and will remain loved by many, especially in her various roles as a supreme and tireless volunteer at the Whitney Pier Historical Society. She served in the US Army as a medic and held many positions on the museum board over the years.
Helen was well-known for her “wicked” sense of humor and enormous heart. Her absence leaves an unfillable hole in ours, but we are grateful that her struggle has ended.
Helen is survived by her adoring daughter, Tracy Carroll (Alex Johnas); grandchildren, Mitchell and Colleen Carroll; brother, Paul ‘Buddy’ Carroll (Betty); sisters, Patricia Lydon (Leo), Terry Campbell (Eddie), Susan Carter (Kevin), and Margaret Cratty; uncles, Frank Dunn (Sandra), Simon Gillis (the late Myrna), and Tom O’Flaherty (Lillian) and her aunt, Josephine ‘Daisy’ Dunn. She was devoted to her many nieces, nephews, cousins, and special friends. Thank you for your endless support and unconditional love.
A special thanks goes out to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, EHS, the VG Cancer Center in Halifax (Dickson Building) and, with endless gratitude, we would like to recognize Dr. D’Intino and staff (Jackie, Lenore, Emily, and Michelle) at Hospice Cape Breton, who were instrumental in helping to make our last days with Helen bearable.
Cremation has taken place at the Pier Community Funeral Home and internment will be in May or June of 2023, when all who love her can gather from far and wide to celebrate her incredibly rich and meaningful life.
Should you wish to make a donation in Helen’s name, please consider the Hospice-Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton County or Whitney Pier Historical Society.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care and direction of Pier Community Funeral Home.
Helen will be missed and remembered forever with love and laughter.
2022
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of CARROLL-DONNELLY Ellen Frances ‘Helen’ 2022 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
Death notice for the town of: Sydney, Province: Nova Scotia