Helen Ada BALLANTYNE

May 16, 1931 - September 1, 2017

Helen passed quietly with family at her side leaving this life to rejoin her husband James, after 20 years being apart and having dated since they were teenagers in Toronto. The youngest of 5 children and last remaining sibling of her family in her 86th year, she leaves 3 generations of inspired family to grow with the love, devotion and family values she inherently possessed and shared.

Beloved Mother of David, Rick (Tara), Bruce (Eileen McLeod), Howard (Michele), Laurie and Sueanne (Robert Archibald), Grandmother to Valerie (Kevin Buffin), Samantha (Justin Wheeler), Jessica (Josh Henderson), Terry-Jay, Christopher Archibald, Brandon Archibald, Breanna Archibald and Great Grandmother to Sarah McLeod, Melody McLeod, Jayson McLeod, Mason Henderson, Easton Henderson and Damion Wheeler. Fondly remembered as an Aunt and Great Aunt who always gave great 'Bear Hugs' with a "Grrruff" and a smile.

Born in Toronto, Helen came from a very close family where everyone helped out and looked after one another. As a young girl she was hooked on knitting, was a warranted Girl Scout who did well in school and subsequently pursued Business studies. Her teenage boyfriend, James Ballantyne, was 1 year older as the two of them enjoyed dancing at Casa Loma during the big band era, church dances, outdoor lake life and attending James' concerts as a musician with the Metropolitan Silver Band. On September 6, 1952 Helen and James were married and bought a house in Scarborough shortly before starting their family 3 years later.

Helen loved her family first and foremost as she baked and cooked from scratch while knitting childhood memories for all of her family members throughout her entire life. As a young family, weekends were often spent together either at a lake in summer or winter sports close to home. Family gatherings with her siblings and their children were common, which always included home made cooking and baking courtesy of our mother and Aunts, especially at Christmas.

As an Accountant, Helen initially preferred to be a stay-at-home Mom, who sometimes worked from home until her youngest child was a teenager. Later she worked for various corporations as an Accountant or Comptroller.

Upon retirement in 1989, Helen and James moved to Vancouver Island where they built a house in Sooke. In 1997, after 45 years of marriage, Helen lost her lifelong partner due to lingering effects of injuries James sustained as a victim of an automobile accident in the late 1980's. With the family support of her children, Helen continued on with her retirement always independently owning her own house in BC and once in Calgary. She kept knitting, became an accomplished quilter and member of the Calgary Kerby Center, where she also volunteered helping seniors with their income tax. In 2014, Helen made her last move to rural Qualicum Beach where she enjoyed the peace and beauty of her evergreen forested acreage, that BC country life provides.

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