Helen Plouffe
New London — Helen Margaret Plouffe, 94, of New London, passed away quietly at Beechwood Nursing Home with family by her side on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018.
She was born in New London on Oct. 21, 1923, the middle child of three daughters of Robert B. and Carolyn (McNeil) Good. The three sisters, Mary, Helen and Barbara, were known affectionately as “the good girls.” They, as well as their parents, all lived in New London, and provided the nucleus for a strong and close lifelong family experience for numerous people. Helen, the schoolgirl, had a nickname of “Hummy” due to her cheerful disposition and propensity to hum music. She was predeceased by Mary (Good) Morton on March 24, 2013. Her other sister, Barbara Caruso, survives in Mystic, with her husband Maurice (Reese) Caruso.
She married Edmund O. Plouffe on Nov. 17, 1945, at St. Mary Church in New London, after he returned from his war service in the South Pacific with the 43rd Artillery Division. He predeceased her on May 21, 1994.
She served as a mother to many people besides her two sons. The list includes, but is not limited to, the following survivors: her two sons, Laurence (Larry) Plouffe of old Lyme and her daughterin-law Judy (Packer) Plouffe of Niantic, and Robert Plouffe and wife Margaret (Peggy) of New London; four grandchildren, Jennifer Vessells of New London, Eileen Ahmed of Charlotte, N.C., Julie Plouffe of New London and Michael Plouffe of Old Lyme; six great-grandchildren, Lianna and Elisjsha Vessells of New London, Reece Smith of New London, and Najeeyah Ahmed, Lakeem Edwards and Akina Thomas of Charlotte, N.C.; six nieces and nephews, Barry Morton of Gales Ferry, Lynn Thompson of Alexandria, Va., Kathy Muller of Morehead City, N.C., Eileen Litty of Gales Ferry, Margaret Blizard of Olympia, Wash., and Peter Morton of Lisbon; as well as all their numerous descendants whom she loved and endeavored to follow their lives from infancy through adulthood.
Special friends include the following, Mike and Mary Brown of New London, who started as associates working together for The Surfer’s Drum and Bugle Corp.; the angels of Gordon Court, where she made her home from 1997 to 2017, Angela Gomez and Florence Potter; the caring staff of Beechwood Nursing Home, Vauxhall St., New London, who provided excellent care for her over the last year.
She was a graduate of Williams Memorial Institute, Class of 1941, and New London Business College in 1943. Prior to retirement in 1987, she was employed by the accounting firm of Kleiman and Kanabis CPA for 30 years. She was a member of St Mary Star of the Sea Church and VFW Auxiliary Post 189 in New London as well as the WMI pre’55 Association. She and her husband Ed volunteered and held positions for many years with the Surfer’s Drum and Bugle Corps. In recognition of that, Mayor Willie Nahas proclaimed a special “Helen and Ed Plouffe Day” for New London. She was an avid fan of UConn basketball, and also watched some pro basketball, but her favorite was by far the UConn women.
The funeral procession will assemble at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, at the Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Ocean Ave., New London, and proceed to a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in New London. Interment will follow in St Mary Cemetery, Jefferson Ave., New London. Following the interment service, the family invites you to return to St Mary Church Hall for food and final thoughts.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choosing.