Helen Elaine HOWARD-LOCK

B. Sc., Ph.D., FCIC
We are saddened to announce the peaceful and unexpected passing of our mother, Helen, following complications after emergency surgery.
Predeceased by husbands Colin Lock (d. 1996) and Melvin Preston (d. 2016), and daughter Alison Penelope (Penny) (1963-1965). Helen is survived by daughters Nicola Simmons (Ben) and Pippa Lock (Erick Feltham), along with stepsons Jon Preston (Caroline) and Rick Preston (Helga Fedirko). She loved her grandchildren Gord Simmons (Rebecca Manuel), Kit Simmons, Joshua and Jacob Feltham, and step-grandchildren Ryan Feltham, and Brittany, Gwen, and Andrew Preston, along with Andrew and Gwen's children. Helen leaves her beloved siblings Isobel Holden (Clark), Claire McMordie (Michael), and David Howard (Barbara Masefield). She also enjoyed many close family relationships with the Cummins and Phelps families.
Helen lived the first years of her life in Hamilton, later moving to Aldershot. These years initiated her love of swimming, sailing, music, theatre, dogs (especially yellow Labrador Retrievers), humour (especially puns), the written word, gardening, and harvesting produce for the family pantry.
Helen graduated with a degree in Physics from McMaster University in 1959 and began work at the reactor at Chalk River, where she met Colin. They married in 1960 and returned to his homeland England until 1963. With Nicola and Penny in tow, they returned to Hamilton, where Helen completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics at McMaster University in 1968.
She was the first woman to teach for McMaster's Faculty of Engineering. She worked on remote sensing of oil spills at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters and subsequently in epidemiology in the Faculty of Health Science at McMaster. The remainder of her career was spent alongside her husband Colin at McMaster, working as the spectroscopist for their research group, known as the Laboratories for Inorganic Medicine. She enjoyed interactions with colleagues from across the University and was a long-time member of the McMaster Women's Club.
Having returned to Aldershot in the mid-1960s, she and Colin built their home there and the family attended St. Matthew's Anglican Church. She was a strong proponent of education, serving as a public school Trustee for nine years. A supporter of empowering women, Helen was also a long-time member of Zonta International. She explored her love of navigation as a member of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons and enjoyed sailing trips with family friends from North Shore and Belhaven as well as the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.
Helen had innate artistic talent, which she fully explored in her retirement to Dundas, completing the Art Fundamentals Certificate Program at the Dundas Valley School of Art, and gifting family members with many of her fine paintings. Some of her favourite subjects were the landscapes of Georgian Bay; while visiting there she could be found in endless pursuit of wild blueberries.
In Dundas she married Mel in 1999 and joined him at St. James Anglican Church. Together they travelled extensively to Bermuda and the Caribbean as well as to BC to visit family. They worked together judging sailing and windsurfing races in Canada and enjoyed boating together on The Wayfarer.
Helen enjoyed classical music and could usually be found listening to it, often while completing the most challenging of cryptic crossword puzzles.
We are indebted to the incredible emergency, surgical, and ICU staff at Joseph Brant Hospital, who provided phenomenal care for Helen during her last week of life.
A visitation will be held at KITCHING, STEEPE & LUDWIG FUNERAL HOME, 146 Mill St. N., Waterdown on Friday, February 25th from 3-5 p.m. A Celebration of Life will take place in person and virtually on Saturday, February 26th at 1 p.m., at ST. JAMES ANGLICAN CHURCH, 137 Melville St., Dundas. Please RSVP if you plan to attend the visitation and/or service through the funeral home website or by calling 905-689-4852 between 9 and 6 p.m.
Charitable donations to honour Helen can be made to the Royal Botanical Gardens, St. James Anglican Church, or McMaster University.
Please RSVP, find the livestream link and sign the Tribute Wall at kitchingsteepeandludwig.com