Obituary for Helen L Scanlon
Helen Laura (nee Harkins) Scanlon of Hainesport, New Jersey passed away peacefully at the age of 81 on June 22, 2023. She was surrounded by her loving family. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Thomas and their three daughters, Suzanne Dougherty and her husband Ben, Maura van de Meent and her husband, Henk and Beth Hoffman as well as her sister, Ave Glancey of Ocean City, New Jersey and her brother, Neil Harkins of California. She was also survived by her cherished grandchildren Ryan Twist, Brett Hoffman, Kyle Hoffman, Helen “Julia” van de Meent, Erik van de Meent, her great-grandson, Brooks Hoffman and many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her parents, Neil and Rita Harkins of Ocean City, New Jersey and her sister, Rita “Sis” Glancey of Boise, Idaho.
Helen was born on November 2, 1941 and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the youngest daughter of Neil and Rita Harkins, she attended Little Flower High School and graduated in 1959. Helen married Thomas Scanlon on June 11, 1960. She continued living in Philadelphia after her marriage until moving to Riverside, New Jersey in 1968 with her husband and two daughters. A third daughter was born soon thereafter.
Helen was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great grandmother. She was a stay-at-home mom when her daughters were young but was also an active volunteer at Saint Casimir’s in Riverside, New Jersey. She volunteered at the school and even served as P.T.A. Treasurer. She was an avid supporter of her daughters’ and grandsons’ activities; cheering them on from the sidelines. She regularly visited and helped her aging parents in Ocean City as well as her husband’s aunt, Margaret Scanlon, who lived for many years at Cinnaminson Manor Nursing Home. Mom always looked out for her neighbors and helped them in any way she could. Helen was an avid reader and showed her love to family, friends and neighbors through her cooking and baking.
Later, Helen entered the workforce providing lunches for schoolchildren at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown. She then moved on to become the office manager for Maute’s Installation in Riverton followed by Ken-trac in Moorestown. She continued her career as an Administrative Assistant for Computer Science Corporation in Moorestown where she started on the Aegis project, winning awards for the quality of her work. This led to a position as a Quality Control Analyst on other prestigious projects at CSC. In addition, she trained new employees. She retired in 2003.
After raising their family, Helen and Tom moved to The Glen at Masons Creek in Hainesport, New Jersey in 1999. Helen helped to create and lead The Red Hatter’s at Masons Creek. She loved playing boardgames and doing puzzles with her friends especially Scrabble, Mexican Train and Words with Friends. She took great enjoyment in teaching these games to her grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Helen's name to Samaritan Hospice or Alzheimer’s Association.
https://samaritannj.org/giving/donate-now/
https://www.alz.org/?form=alz_donate
Family, friends and neighbors are welcome to her visitation Wednesday, June 28, 2023 from 9:00 to 11:00 at Mount Laurel Home for Funerals, 212 Ark Rd, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054. Funeral Ceremony will follow at 11:00 AM. Interment will be private at Jesus, Bread of Life Catholic Cemetery at a later date.
Helen's services will be livestreamed at 11AM on June 28, 2023 at: