Helen Girard

Old Town - Helen Girard passed away on April 8th, 2022. In the weeks, days, and hours leading up to her final moment, family and friends surrounded her. Her husband, Gil, visited every day. A skilled and professional team of nurses and staff cared for her. Helen’s sole complaint would have been the two furry critters she adopted could not be curled up alongside her. She would be the first person to say, “we can’t always get our way in this life.”
And speaking of life, on August 4th, 1934, Robert and Lucille MacManus and their children Robert, Donald, and Mary welcomed the youngest of the MacManus clan into the world. They named her Helen Lucille. She attended the Mary Snow school in Bangor and then graduated from Bangor High School in 1952. She was a voracious reader – a habit she maintained throughout her life. She also had a wicked good pitching arm, a beautiful singing voice, and according to her lifelong friend, Connie, made a mean tuna sandwich.
Helen faced more challenges than some as a young woman. She would advise her children, “life can sometimes be hard to navigate. It can be a challenge.” Through grit, perseverance, and a dose of fearlessness, she managed to move to Florida and work for NASA! She later returned to Maine and while attending a dance one evening, she met Gilles “Rocky” Girard. He told a joke over dinner and as she shared later, “He made me laugh. I hadn’t laughed in the past two years. I knew that night we were destined to be together.” And so, they were going on for almost 60 years!
Told she was unable to have children, you can imagine their surprise when Helen became pregnant with the oldest of their kids. Michelle came first. Terri followed two years later. Their first son, Bob arrived three years afterwards. And then, another “surprise” five years later when they welcomed Michael into the fold. At this point, they either voted, or at least agreed, “this is more than enough.” And so, it was. Helen and Gil loved their children and are proud of them.
Helen stayed home to care for the kids for a time, but she was an independent soul who believed in challenging work. She knew the value of her skills and enjoyed the camaraderie of her colleagues at the University of Maine. She was always happy to offer guidance or advice to students and would often invite them into the home if they could not make it to their families for the holidays. After her formal retirement, she returned to the University as a contractor for different departments; she relished the variety of roles and people with whom she worked.
Helen and Gil traveled both within the US and across the globe. She became a close friend and confidant of Dr. Doris Twitchell Allen and held positions of leadership at both the local and national levels of CISV for years. She served as the Grand Chaplain in Maine for the Order of the Eastern Star and served also as District Deputy, Grand Matron, and a Grand Representative. She formed book groups, volunteered for a variety of causes, and planted gardens. She and Gil enjoyed margaritas in Maui and Mexico with their friends, celebrated anniversaries in romantic cities, and traveled with her cousins to learn about their shared family history in Ireland and Scotland. Helen also hiked in the Alps, spent time soaking up amazing works of art in Florence, dined on unique and delicious cuisine in Scandinavia, and enjoyed watching soccer in Germany. She was also a savvy cribbage player, a talented baker, and an intense Red Sox fan. Helen and Gil had a life together celebrated with gusto.
Helen did her best to spoil her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Elizabeth and Dan, Grace and Duncan, and Jameson and Benjamin lit up her world whenever she saw them.
Her family extended to her children’s friends; she loved them, too. Her network was large and extensive. In recent years she was filled with joy when visited by nieces, nephews, and cousins. She treasured them all and spoke of them often. She adored Gil’s family, too, and was quick to share hilarious stories from visits to Montreal or when the relatives visited Maine. His sister, Lise and her husband Don, were a constant source of support for both Helen and Gil.
Helen was a devoted daughter and sister, a loving wife and mother, a caring and generous aunt and cousin, and a true and loyal friend. She filled her life with experiences and adventures and got to know and love every friend she made along the way. It is hard to imagine a life any luckier than hers.
Our mother loved to laugh and amidst the laughter she would always remind us to “do our best,” “never stop learning,” “keep living an amazing life,” and “be loyal to your friends and family.” In the final few weeks of her time with us, she was asked if she would like anything specific included in an obituary or service. Her guidance was, “don’t tell any awkward stories, inappropriate jokes, and don’t antagonize anyone. Also, watch out for each other.”
Words she lived by – mostly successfully.
In lieu of flowers (even though she loved flowers), our mother felt that exposure to diverse cultures and peaceful co-existence was paramount, so she asked that people consider a donation to their local CISV chapter. Details can be found here: https://cisv.org/support-us/donate/ . Helen was also a person who appreciated having a choice, so donations to the Old Town Animal Orphanage would also be appreciated: https://www.animal-orphanage.com/ (although she’d likely be happier if you adopted a furry critter from them. She was fond of kittens). She was a champion of libraries and a strong advocate for their role in their communities so she also encouraged donations to the Old Town Public Library: http://old-town.lib.me.us/p/memorials.html.
A memorial service will be held at 5:00 PM Wednesday April 13, 2022 at the Orono United Methodist Church, 36 Oak St, Orono. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com