Helen A. Heaney

Helen A. Heaney passed away peacefully on October 22, 2019 with a number of family members by her side.

She was born in Laurel, New York on October 25, 1932 to John and Anna (Shepish) Sobieray.
 

Predeceased by her parents, her siblings, John Jr., Mary Jane Lewin, and Florence Brandi, sons in law Robert Wallace and Jeffrey Bubb as well as her great grandson Benjamin.  She is survived by her husband of 66 years John; her seven daughters Katherine (Robert), Gwendolyn (Garry), Theresa (Jeff), Rosemarie (Keith), Annemarie (Kenneth), Patricia (John), Jennifer (Edward Jr); thirteen grandchildren, Gregory(Linda), Jacquelyn(Kurt), Nicole (Charlie), Jack, Shawn, Callie, Jeffrey (Kasey), Kristen, Kassandra(Mace), Natalie, Stephen, Jenna and Emily as well as eight great grandchildren, Nicholas, Charles, Camden, Shane, Garrett, Katrina, Jeffrey, Brady and one more on the way.

The woman who would eventually go by the affectionate moniker “Nanny” relocated to Greenport in 1943 where she would spend the rest of her life.  As fate would have it, she left the Greenport High School Sophomore Christmas Party with Jack in 1948, which was the start of their seventy one year journey together.  Helen and Jack received the sacrament of marriage on August 22, 1953 when Jack was on a two week leave from the USS Norfolk.

Helen devoted her life to her family and the surrounding community.  There are many people who talk about making the world a better place. Helen was not much for talk, she spoke with her actions.  She was a woman with binary sense of right and wrong, combined with the strongest of wills.

A long tradition at Greenport High School was the senior trip to Washington DC.  In 1951 segregation was still in full effect in the south, and African American students from Greenport were not permitted in the pools at the hotel as well as certain restaurants.  Helen decided that if her friends were not welcome, she did not want to be a part of it either, instead she opted to stay at the hotel with her roommate as a silent protest of an unjust system.

Helen was a dedicated communicant of St. Agnes Parish, serving as the CCD coordinator for over 25 years, there are multiple generations of Catholics that went through St Agnes religious education system and have Mrs. Heaney stories.  In addition she was a Girl Scout leader for 30 years. Always willing to go the extra mile, she was in charge of the Girl Scout cookie distribution for the North Fork. At one point there were so many boxes of cookies delivered to 511 Bailey Avenue, they would not bring them inside the house for fear of compromising the structural integrity of her home.  Furthermore for many years she coordinated the Memorial Day Dock service in Greenport.

A Porter through and through, she assisted with the GHS All Class Reunion from its inception, and is a part of that event’s success.  It is only fitting since she had a vast amount of experience after helping to coordinate the Heaney Family Reunion for over 60 years.

Helen never got a drivers license, so it was not uncommon to see her riding her blue Schwinn, complete with empty saddle baskets, downtown to work at Brasstown, Shirtshack or Basketworks (the saddle baskets were full on her way home after she stopped at the grocery store before she came home).

Helen and Jack were not people of extraordinary means, especially with seven daughters to raise, yet that never stopped them from helping those that were less fortunate than they were.  Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, plates were always made for community members who did not have meals to eat, Helen even set up a head start program in her home to help prepare preschoolers for kindergarten, keep in mind this was with seven of her own children in the house.

Throughout her sixty six year marriage to Jack her main focus was always her family.  The impact she has had on each member of her family is unquantifiable and the loss that is currently felt is immeasurable.  Since her death the entire family has spent their time recalling the countless moments of joy that they have shared with her.  She had her own special relationship with each of her children, sons in law, grandchildren and great children.

Although the magnitude of her loss is devastating to her family, there will come a day when the intense sadness and tears that fall now will turn to smiles of joy in time as her family carries forward with her memories as they try to uphold the examples and expectations she has set; which is a fitting tribute to the legacy created by how she lead her life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to B. Timothy, Shawn T., Kerry P. Heaney Memorial Scholarship, 532 Whiteleysbutg RD, Harrington Delaware 19952. 

OR
St Agnes RC Church, 523 Front Street, Greenport, NY 11944

Visitation:  Friday, October 25th 2 - 4 & 7 - 9 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home 735 First St. Greenport

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, October 26th 11:00 a.m. at St. Agnes RC Church 523 Front St. Greenport

Interment to follow: at St. Agnes Cemetery

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