Helen I. Greenhill

A lifelong resident of Yonkers, she was a beloved Yonkers Public Schools teacher for more than 30 years. She shared her enduring enthusiasm for learning with her husband, Martin, an art teacher, throughout their 71 years of marriage. Beyond the classroom, Helen’s life was enriched by summers at the Jersey Shore, travels to California, Hawaii, the Canadian Rockies and Ireland, and cherished visits with extended family in the Adirondack Mountains and Massachusetts. She loved sailing, swimming, tennis, reading (especially Agatha Christie), and playing the piano, and was a household double solitaire champ. Although she famously did not enjoy cooking — and favored serving the turkey cold on Thanksgiving — she prepared lunches for the whole family every night for decades, always remembering the preferences of each family member. She showed that simple tasks done with affection become special. Her warmth made her a cherished friend and a favorite teacher among parents, children and her peers.

She will be lovingly missed by her husband, her four children — Gregory, Patricia (Mitch), Peter (Isabel), and Gary (Patty), and her four grandchildren — Matthew, Christina, Daniel and Gabriella — as well as by nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, cousin, aunt and friend, Helen was also a faithful Catholic whose unwavering beliefs sustained her throughout her life and carried her home to her reward.

Visiting hours will be at Whalen & Ball Funeral Home, 168 Park Ave., Yonkers, N.Y. 10703 on Tuesday 5-9pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Anthony's Church, 10 Squire Ave., Yonkers, N.Y. 10703 on Wednesday February 4th from 10:30 to 11:30am. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, N.Y.