Helen S. Marion

Marion, Helen S. ALTAMONT Helen Shoro Marion died on November 30, 2007, the day before her 90th birthday, at the Hospice Inn at St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, surrounded by her children and her sister. Born in Albany, Helen was the daughter of the late Clifford and Ruth Bashaw Shoro, originally from Brandon, Vt. and the wife of the late Albert C. Marion, who died in 1992. Helen is survived by her sister, Eileen McKenney of Altamont, and by Helen's children, John Marion (husband of Gabrielle Canino) of Fishkill, N.Y., Ruth Marion of Bozeman, Mont., and Peter Marion of Worcester, Mass. A daughter, Eileen Marion Gilbertson, died in 1988. She was also predeceased by a brother, Richard Shoro, and a sister, Marion Shoro Teeter. Helen is also survived by grandchildren, Cain Marion of Albany, Abra Marion of Slingerlands, Sylvia Doane of San Jose, Calif., Jessica Soza of Sebastopol, Calif. and Erin Gilbertson of Minneapolis, Minn.; and great-granddaughters Alyssa Marion, Cassidy Mulligan, and Morgan Mulligan of Slingerlands, as well as many nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. A graduate of the former Vincentian Institute in Albany, Helen attended a two-year secretarial program administered by the Collegiate Center. She was an executive secretary, first to the director of the former Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center and then for Peter Alland of the Guilderland School District. Helen loved music, especially classical music and operas. She enjoyed reading and poetry, and in earlier years, she loved annual family camping trips to the Adirondack Mountains. Helen and her husband Al made several cross-country trips, took a tour of Europe, and lived part time for several years in Fla. Helen was a communicant of St. Lucy's Church, and she was an active member of the Altamont Senior Citizens. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels, Community Caregivers, Altamont Fire Dept. Auxiliary, Equinox, R.S.V.P., and the Altamont Senior Citizens. The family would like to thank all of the medical professionals who cared for Helen, especially Hedy Migden, M.D., Dan Mead, P.A., and Elaine Pollack Martin, R.N. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 8 at St. Lucy's Church in Altamont. Interment will take place in St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Altamont Senior Citizens, P.O. Box 245, Altamont, NY 12009.