Mrs. Helen Mary Stinson Quinlan

Helen Mary Quinlan was born at home (43 King St.) in Brantford, Ontario on July 18, 1911. She was the eldest of three children, her silblings were Jack and Betty. Her father was a Doctor and she was very proud of his chosen profession. While attending Brantford Collegiate Institute she met a fellow named John Thomas Quinlan, whom she later married. They had six children, Elspeth, Mary Catherine(Honey), Jim, John, Tom and Bob. She is survived by 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Helen was a very devout Catholic, her deep faith was what aided her through the difficult times in her life. She loved her pets Zack and Shelby, in fact her cat is still with us. What she loved most was family and thankfully she was surrounded by many. She never forgot a birthday or anniversary and made sure to send a card. In the summer she loved to visit Port Dover and have dinner at the Erie Beach Hotel. She loved roses and had the most beautiful display in front of her porch. She never had a driver's licence, but loved to walk "downtown" to the bank, market, library, or for whatever errands she might have had. In later years it was trips to Calbeck's or the Brant Food Centre with Elspeth and she was always wanting to provide gas money. Helen was a great baker and her shortbread was amazing. She made a wonderful lemon bisque and for many years it was a summer picnic favorite. She was meticulous about everything and seldom rushed. She played her clock radio during the day and sat formally at the dinner table even when dining alone. She was always well dressed and very rarely wore "slacks" (as she called them). Helen had beautiful penmanship and she was very good at letter writing and keeping in touch with family and friends. She remained living in her home at 88 Waterloo Court until a few months before her death, it was her wish to stay there as long as possible. It was a home that all her family had enjoyed for many years. The grandchildren loved the attic, though they were often told "Don't make a mess up there, stay out of the boxes"! They even found a stuffed alligator up there, apparently it came home on one of the family vacations to Florida.

There are many fond memories I have of my grandmother; sandwiches cut into four, the yellow soup bowls, the wooden blocks and barrel of monkeys, Christmas cookies, shopping at $1.44 days at Woolco, the Market, the "Right House" department store, banking at the "Permanent" and grocery shopping every Thursday. She came to all my figure skating events, graduations etc. She helped me finance my first car and trusted me to pay her back. I was a very inquisitive young girl and I remember her saying "You ask so many questions"! I wanted to know as much about her life as I could because I wanted to be able to pass things along to future generations. She never spoke badly of anyone and was a very compassionate and forgiving person. I felt badly that she spent so many years as a widow, but she said there was only one man for her and that was the way it was to be! Rest assured she is in heaven with her beloved husband and she watches over us daily.

Shannon Burberry