Obituary of Helen Claire Hanlon

CHESHIRE- Helen Claire (Anderson) Hanlon, 80, of Cheshire died peacefully at her home on Saturday, April 11, 2015. She was the devoted wife of the late Vincent James Hanlon. Helen was born on June 7, 1934 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Joseph L. and Helen Levins Anderson, and had been a Cheshire resident for over 45 years. Helen graduated as salutatorian of the class of 1952 from St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth, NJ, and attended the College of St. Elizabeth on an academic scholarship, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in 1956. She worked as a teacher in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Connecticut. In 1987, she earned her Paralegal Certificate with Distinction from Mercy College and was employed at Anderson, Alden, Hayes & Ziogas law firm in Bristol, Connecticut until her retirement. She was an active parishioner of St. Bridget Church, a member of the Newcomers Club, a volunteer at the United Way, and a docent for the New Haven Historical Society. A fervent reader and an artistic individual, Helen enjoyed painting, sewing, cross-stitch and needlepoint, earning many distinctions for her work. She is the beloved mother of Mark Vincent Hanlon and his wife Anne of Simi Valley, CA; Christopher James Hanlon and his wife Carol of Glastonbury, CT; and Hope Hanlon Santoro and her husband Joseph of Katonah, NY. She is survived by her grandchildren; Ellen and Meridith Hanlon, Nadine and Scott Santoro, and Heather and Blake Hanlon; and her sister Mary Murphy of Elizabeth, NJ. Helen was predeceased by her sister Dorothea Anderson and her brother-in-law Vincent Murphy. ARRANGEMENTS- Her funeral procession will leave the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 So. Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410 at 9:15 A.M, Friday April 17, 2015 and proceed to St. Bridget Church, 175 Main Street, Cheshire, 06410 for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10 A.M. Interment will follow in Cheshire Hillside Cemetery. Friends may greet the family at the funeral home on Thursday April 16, 2015 from 5 to 8 P.M. Memorial contributions in Helen’s name may be made to Yale Interstitial Lung Disease Center c/o Dr. Danielle Antin-Ozerkis Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine,P.O. Box 208057,New Haven, CT 06520-8057.