Helen Kinney French Dayton, 100, of Lake Placid, Florida, passed away peacefully at home on November 21, 2025.
Born July 15, 1925, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Helen's family moved to Sandwich, Massachusetts, when she was 9. At age 10 she was the youngest clarinet player in the band that marched the whole 8 miles across the newly opened, Bourne bridge. She volunteered at Camp Farley annually, where she discovered her life long passion for horticulture as well as cooking for assemblies.
After graduating high school in 1943, Helen moved back to Rhode Island, to attend Rhode Island College (now URI) in Kingston. She was a Sigma Kappa Sorority sister like her mother before her (class of 1919). Helen graduated in 1947, with a BA in home economics.
In 1946 she met R. James Dayton (Jim) at college, they married after her graduation. They lived in Waterford Connecticut for decades. Helen was the head dietician at Connecticut College in New London.
Helen and Jim moved to Lake Placid, Florida, in 1986. Jim preceded Helen in death. She is survived by her sisters, Charlotte Hart and Jane Klingensmith of Lake Placid, Florida, Esther Mauro of Saginaw, Michigan and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of trees or flowers, please give a charitable donation to PawsitiveEffects.org or NLS books for the blind.
Born July 15, 1925, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Helen's family moved to Sandwich, Massachusetts, when she was 9. At age 10 she was the youngest clarinet player in the band that marched the whole 8 miles across the newly opened, Bourne bridge. She volunteered at Camp Farley annually, where she discovered her life long passion for horticulture as well as cooking for assemblies.
After graduating high school in 1943, Helen moved back to Rhode Island, to attend Rhode Island College (now URI) in Kingston. She was a Sigma Kappa Sorority sister like her mother before her (class of 1919). Helen graduated in 1947, with a BA in home economics.
In 1946 she met R. James Dayton (Jim) at college, they married after her graduation. They lived in Waterford Connecticut for decades. Helen was the head dietician at Connecticut College in New London.
Helen and Jim moved to Lake Placid, Florida, in 1986. Jim preceded Helen in death. She is survived by her sisters, Charlotte Hart and Jane Klingensmith of Lake Placid, Florida, Esther Mauro of Saginaw, Michigan and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of trees or flowers, please give a charitable donation to PawsitiveEffects.org or NLS books for the blind.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Kinney-French Dayton, please visit our flower store.
Helen Kinney-French Dayton's Guestbook
Visits: 6
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors