Helen R. Jemison

Funeral services for Helen Mary Robson Jemison age 97 of Lisbon, will be held on Saturday (November 1, 2025) with visitation from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home. The funeral service will follow at the funeral home with Rev. Walter Smith and Rev. Kathleen Hyde co-officiating. Entombment will be at the Oswegatchie Mausoleum.

Helen passed away on Wednesday September 24, 2025 at the Hearthstone Assisted Living in Oxford, FL surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on September 8th,1928 in Chipman, New York in the same bed that her father, Merrill Robson, had been born in. Her mother, Marion Dawley Robson was a master gingerbread chef. Helen's siblings are; Jay, Lyle and Eileen (Putney). The family were dairy farmers, first in Chipman and later in Lisbon, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. There she met Robert Jemison and fell in love. They married after he returned from military service in 1947.

Helen obtained an Associates Degree and worked as a lab technician before starting a family. Steven arrived first, then David, Thomas, Martha (Cole) and Patricia. She also added Ken Rome, a great kid who needed a home. But she was not done providing homes for children in need. Numerous foster children and an equal number of exchange students from around the world called Helen “Mom.” The next generations provided her with fourteen grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren and counting. A shoutout to the spouses without whom the offspring would not exist: Gail (White), Nancy (DeLong), Sandy (Tasker), Stephen (Cole), Tom (Regan) & Kathy (Rupp). Also deserving of mention are several nephews and nieces, especially Mary Putney, and many wonderful friends. You know who you are.

But Helen was not done. She returned to college and graduated with a degree in nursing as the Outstanding Woman in her class at 54 years old. She was a hospital nurse and then a Hospice nurse well into her eighties. Helen was very active in the First Congressional Church in Lisbon and was a member of the Lisbon Central School Board for several years. She received an Outstanding Service Award medal for donating over 25 gallons of blood to the Red Cross. Service to others was always her goal. Her gardening and cooking skills were legendary. The vegetable gardens were measured in acres, her gladiolus patch exceeded a thousand. No better fruit pies have ever been made. People coveted her watermelon rind pickles.

Helen was married for sixty nine years when husband Bob passed away just shy of ninety seven. She had a long life, very well lived and very much loved. They don’t make them like Helen anymore.

Memorial contributions can be made in Helen’s name to the First Congregational Church of Lisbon, 9226 Five Mile Line Road; Lisbon, NY 13658, The American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or the Cornerstone Hospice, 601 Mariposa Way, The Villages, FL 32162.