Helen P. Stanley

Helen P. Stanley Prospect - Helen (Pillis) Stanley, 94, passed away peacefully at Beacon Brook Health Care Center in Naugatuck, on Wednesday November 18, 2015. She was the widow of Joseph Stanley. Helen was born in Oakville on February 23, 1921 daughter of the late Joseph and Jennie (Andreskevich) Pillis. She graduated from Watertown High School in 1938 in the top of her class. She worked at Scovill Manufacturing as a timekeeper before moving to Prospect in 1959, where she became an integral part of her neighborhood, her church, and her community. She remained close with friends she had known since childhood and continually widened the circle of people for whom she cared. While raising her children she was employed as a teacher's aide in the Prospect school system. In later years she was a bookkeeper at Wolcott Glass and Eastview Manor in Prospect, and could be seen riding her bike to work. Helen was a communicant of St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church in Prospect and an active member of the Ladies Guild. She was an avid gardener and longtime follower of UConn Huskies Basketball. She was known for her adventuresome spirit, deep faith, quick wit and wry sense of humor. She celebrated her Lithuanian heritage throughout her life; she loved polka music and her kugelis and vititus recipes are legendary. A devoted mother, she imparted to her family a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors, an appreciation of the arts, and a caring heart. She found wonder in all things big and small, and knew better than most how to turn lemons into lemonade. Helen is survived by her children: Joseph C. Stanley and his wife Lisa of Prospect, Rebecca Stanley and her partner Ron Byrne of Altamont, NY, Barbara Martin of Ashford and Stacy A. Stanley of Watertown; her granddaughter Valerie Martin (with whom she especially enjoyed watching "Animal Planet"); her goddaughter Joanne Ottman; many nieces and nephews; and her dear friend Dolores Fusco. She was predeceased by two sons: Stephen E. Stanley and Christopher J. Stanley; a sister Anna Yarmala; and three brothers: Bernard Pillis, Edward Pillis, and Raymond Pillis. The funeral will be held on Monday November 23, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. from the Prospect Memorial Funeral Home, 72 Waterbury Road, Prospect to St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church, 4 Union City Rd., Prospect for a Mass at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery in Waterbury. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Sunday evening November 22, 2015 from 4 to 7 p.m. Memorial contributions in Helen's name may be made to Beacon Brook Health Care Center Resident Council, 89 Weid Drive, Naugatuck, CT. 06770 or St. Anthony Church HOPE Ministry. For more information and online condolences please visit: www.prospectmemorial.com