Helen A. Andersen

Helen A. Andersen, 93, a longtime resident of Dalton, Massachusetts and Devonshire Estates in Lenox, Massachusetts passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday July 21, 2016 at Springside Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center. Born in Jersey City, NJ, October 11, 1922, the daughter of Walter and Anna Hauer Connolly, she attended local schools and graduated in 1940 from Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City, NJ. Helen was an independent woman ahead of her times. In 1941, she biked from eastern New Jersey to Hershey, Pennsylvania, staying at youth hostels with four friends. After graduation, Helen worked as an executive secretary in Manhattan and helped her younger brother pay for tuition at Cornell University. While employed by Scandinavian Airlines she was able to make several trips to Europe in the early 1950s and visited relatives in Germany and Denmark. On a ski trip to Eastover in the early 1950s she met her future husband, Karl Andersen, and they married in 1953. She moved to Dalton, Massachusetts where she lived on Orchard Road until 2004 when she moved to Devonshire Estates in Lenox. While in the Berkshires, Helen worked as an executive secretary at Crane and Company and at the former Beloit Corporation where she was promoted to the position of Manager of Administrative Services. She retired in the early 1980s after twenty years of service. Helen was also an activist and volunteer. She was a delegate to the Democratic Party State Convention a number of times and was an early advocate for women's rights. She was a volunteer tutor for the Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County and helped people from China and El Salvador learn English. She was also a pioneer in advocating for students with dyslexia since the mid 1960s. She also volunteered for the Red Cross and was a Cub Scout den mother. Helen enjoyed painting and attending the cultural venues of the Berkshires, especially Tanglewood. She is survived by her son, Erik Andersen of Boston, and her daughter Valerie Andersen of Pittsfield and two grandchildren, Ken Black, a civil engineering student at U Mass Amherst, and Anna Black, a statistics and math major at Williams College. She was predeceased by a sister, Patricia Bozeat and three brothers, Walter, John, and Richard Connolly. Helen's family would like to thank the staffs of Springside Care Center and Porchlight Home Care who helped her family care for her in her final years. FUNERAL NOTICE The funeral for Helen A. Andersen will be held on Tuesday at 10 AM at St. Stephens Episcopal Church with Rev. Cricket Cooper, rector, officiating. Burial will follow in Mountain View Cemetery in Lenox. Calling hours will be on Monday from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Dwyer Funeral Home, 776 North St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Donations in her memory may be made to Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County, One Wendell Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201 or in care of the funeral home.

Helen A. Andersen

October 11, 1922 - July 21, 2016