Helen Mae McCauley

Helen Mae Henningsgaard McCauley

Helen Mae Henningsgaard McCauley, 84, died Tuesday, September 14, 2010, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

She was born in Madison, Minnesota, on January 12, 1926, the fifth of nine children to Thecla Walgren Henningsgaard and Martin Henningsgaard.

She grew up on a farm near Canby, Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota where she earned her RN degree. Helen loved working in the operating room and there she met her future husband, Ralph T. McCauley M.D., who was doing his surgical residency. They were married on May 9, 1949, and after a honeymoon in Washington, D.C., they moved to the coalfield area of West Virginia where Ralph had a general practice.

After three years, Ralph decided to specialize in Urology so they moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he trained at Duke University. When that was completed, they lived two years in Wiesbaden, Germany, where Ralph was Chief of Urology for the European Theater. In 1960, they moved to Danville, Virginia, where Helen lived until moving to Martha Jefferson House three years ago.

Helen was a voracious reader her whole life and dearly loved her grandchildren and great- grandchildren. She was a champion speller, master at crossword puzzles, expert seamstress, and sharp bridge player in her day. She was nonjudgmental and tried to face life with cheerfulness.

Helen was predeceased by her husband, Ralph T. McCauley M.D.; and two sons, Hugh McCauley and William McCauley.

She is survived by her two daughters, Elizabeth Burch and her husband, James, of Charlottesville, Virginia, Susan Lunsford and her husband, Scott, of Mooresville, North Carolina; six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, one sister and three brothers.

A graveside service will be conducted 11 a.m. Saturday, October 2, 2010, at Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, 3302 North NC Highway 119, Mebane, North Carolina 27302, with the Reverend Barry Foster officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, Playground Fund, 107 West Main Street, Danville, Virginia 24541.

Friends may sign the guest register at teaguefuneralhome.com.


This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.