Helen S. Doerr

Helen S. Doerr
Devoted Mother
Helen S. Doerr, 91, of Cranford, NJ, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2019. Raised in Hillside, NJ, by her parents Helen and Charles Schleuning, Helen lived in Cranford for the past 65 years. Predeceased by her husband, George Doerr, Jr. (1958), Helen is survived by her daughters Cynthia Doerr Gladis and Georganne Doerr Jussel and her sons in law, Daniel Gladis and David Jussel.

While growing up in Hillside, Helen was very athletic and enjoyed archery, softball, rifle club, and swimming. It was while going to school in Hillside that she met her lifelong friends, the "sorority sisters" of the Omega Sigma Psi Sorority, Beta Chapter.

Helen and George married in 1949 and moved to Cranford in 1954. They bought a boat and loved to waterski when they weren't working at George's Atlantic Service Station on the corner of South and Centennial Avenues in Cranford, where Helen could often be found pumping gas and helping George run the station.

While raising her daughters, Helen worked in the Cranford obstetrics and gynecology practice of Drs. Charles Spear and Richard Lang. Later in Helen's work life, she was the office manager at Blake Industries in Scotch Plains and retired in 1992. Helen was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Cranford, where her daughters were baptized, and most enjoyed services that included the little children.

Helen was artistic, loved photography, music and the arts, was an excellent seamstress, loved doing crossword puzzles and was an avid reader of just about anything. Her favorite pastime however, other than being a mom, was spending time with her family and many friends. Helen continued to meet her sorority sisters for lunch on a regular basis over the past 70 years, while forming new friendships wherever she went. There were many enjoyable family vacations, often spent with Helen's parents, and always at a beach, and Helen enjoyed a yearly "girls' weekend" with Cindy and Georganne in their beloved Cape May, NJ. Helen's personality, sense of humor, and ready smile made her a joy to be with.

Blessed with an inquisitive mind and born of a generation that saw so very many developments in science and technology, Helen always said she wanted "to stick around to see what the future holds."

Helen is also predeceased by her brother, Charles A. Schleuning and his wife Roberta, her sister Dorothy Lasky, and her cousin, Robert C. Wheeler. She is survived by her brother-in-law James Lasky of Toms River, her sister-in-law Bernice Doerr Andrews of Oviedo, FL, her cousin Mary Wheeler of Cranford, and nieces, nephews, cousins and their families, with whom she had many good times and lots of laughs, and who will miss their "Aunt Helen."

Please join Cindy, Dan, Georganne, and Dave for Helen's Life Celebration at Gray's Funeral Home, 12 Springfield Ave., Cranford, NJ on January 26, 2019 from 10:00 am till noon, service at 11:30 am. You may go to grayfuneralhomes.com for on line condolences. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Helen's favorite charity, or to Center for Hope Hospice.