SEARLES, Helen Josephine

The Searles family announces the passing of their beloved mother, Helen, age 97, who died peacefully in her senior’s residence at Parkland at the Lakes in Dartmouth, on Sunday, May 17, 2020. Born on February 10, 1923 in St. Catharines, Ont., she was the daughter of the late Frederick and Helen (Mclaughlin) Quartermain. She married Norman Russell Searles on New Year’s Eve in 1947. They began their married life together in Saint John, N.B., and in 1967 they accepted a corporate transfer to Dartmouth, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Helen’s primary focus in life was raising her four children, taking good care of her home and lending a helping hand to various community causes. She was an active member of St. John’s Anglican Church, "the Little Church with the Big Heart", where she served for many years with their local food bank. In addition, Helen remained active throughout her life with her Senior’s Bowling League, the Dartmouth Senior Citizens Club and the Dartmouth Stroke Support Club. Other areas of interest included all things Royalty, local travel and sightseeing, birds and wildlife, and serving as the unofficial food critic of Parkland at the Lakes. She is survived by her daughters, Judy Brundage, Mount Uniacke; Pat (Bobby) Harris, Westphal; Sandra (Bob) Bissett, Fall River, and her son, Raymond (Nora) Searles, Dartmouth; her grandchildren, Audra, Brad, Darrin, Lindsay, Mark, Naomi, Tracey, Troy; and her 18 great-grandchildren. Besides her parents, Helen was predeceased by her husband, Norman; and her son-in-law, Stephen Brundage. The Searles family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the caring and highly professional staff of Parkland at the Lakes. A private Memorial Service will be held by the family to honour their mother’s life at a future date once public health measures allow such activities. In lieu of flowers, Donations may be made to the IWK Health Centre at: www.iwk.nshealth.ca or Feed Nova Scotia at: www.feednovascotia.ca Online condolences may be made at: www.atlanticfuneralhomes.com (Dartmouth Chapel)