Helen Denley, 94

GILFORD — Helen Gestring Denley, 94, of Morrill Street, died, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, surrounded by her loving family.

Helen was born in Columbus, Montana, on July 19, 1923. She was the daughter of retired Army Col. John F. Gestring and Vera (Griffith) Gestring. She had one sister, Colleen Felch Gianella, now deceased.

Helen Graduated with the 1941 class of Pocatello High School, Pocatello, Idaho, and was one of only two recipients of the National Honor Society. She completed one year at the University of Utah and then graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1946 with a degree in liberal arts. She was a lifelong member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. Being a “military brat,” Helen moved at least 16 times in her young life before meeting her husband, Gordon Palmer Denley of Saugus, Massachusetts.

Helen relocated to the East Coast, where she married Gordon on Sept. 7, 1946. The couple resided in Beverly, Massachusetts, where they raised their children. During that time, Helen was actively involved in her church, the community and prided herself on being a Cub Scout den mother for 10 years. She was employed in the office of Kelleher Fuel Company.

Together, she and Gordon built a camp on Welch Island, Lake Winnipesaukee that was an anchor for the family then and still is today.

Helen and Gordon relocated to Gilford in 1991 to be closer to their camp and to start a new life in the community. Once again, Helen devoted much time to her church and her family. She and Gordon began traveling to Florida in the winter and taking extensive trips with the Appalachian Mountain Club, hiking in the U.S. and abroad. They drove across the United States and back six times or more.

Helen was an avid reader, a passionate gardener, a forever-faithful fan of the Boston Red Sox and believed that jelly beans were a nutritional food source.

Helen is survived by her devoted husband of 72 years, Gordon P. Denley of Gilford; her three children and their families, John Denley, DMD, retired and his wife, Susan of Readsboro, Vermont, Diane Hebold and her husband, Walter of Casco, Maine, and Attorney William Denley and his wife, Susan of Sanbornville. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren scattered about the world from Costa Rica to North Carolina.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1, in the Gilford Community Church, 19 Potter Hill Road, Gilford.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the memorial fund of the Gilford Community Church, 19 Potter Hill Road, Gilford, NH 03249, or the Shriners Hospital for Children, c/o Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information, call the funeral home at 603-524-4300 or please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.