Helen Cooper Warren

Helen Cooper Warren 1937 – 2021 TOPSHAM – Helen Cooper Warren, a small woman with a big heart and boundless enthusiasm for friends, family and her many passions, passed away peacefully April 3, 2021, in her home at The Highlands senior living community. She was 83. Born with an intellectual disability, Helen lived a full and active life with very few limitations. She was an artist, a whiz at games and puzzles, a belly-laugher, a lover of parades and a lifelong baseball fan – first for the Philadelphia Phillies and ultimately for her beloved Boston Red Sox (and their mascot Wally, who once paid an in-person visit to Helen at The Highlands.) Helen was the longest-tenured resident of The Highlands, having celebrated 30 years at the facility last December. She and her late mother – Helen Knight Warren – were among the first people, known as “Pioneers,” to move into The Highlands when it opened in 1990. According to Kathy Willey, business office manager at The Highlands and a longtime friend, Helen was the last of the “Pioneers.” “She was a special friend to many of the residents and especially the staff,” Willey said. “She was always front and center when people came to speak or play music, laughing happily when something delighted her. Helen loved The Highlands and The Highlands loved her.” That love extended to her religious faith, as well. A lifelong Presbyterian, Helen was a congregant at the Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church in Topsham for many years. She regularly gathered the collection plates on her walker during service each Sunday and presented them to her pastor, the Rev. Diane Hoppe Hugo. “In many ways, Helen was the heart of this congregation,” Hoppe Hugo recalled. “She was the most faithful usher and the only reason she ever missed church was either being in the hospital or at a Red Sox game. And we had no problem praying: “If it is God’s will, may the Red Sox win.” Helen’s artistic abilities were on display during her many years as a client at Spindleworks, the nonprofit arts center for adults with disabilities run by the Independence Association of Brunswick. She was a weaver, painter and sculptor whose creations were featured prominently – and sold quickly – in many Spindleworks shows and exhibits. Maureen Block, Helen’s longtime artist mentor and dear friend at Spindleworks, said Helen “painted happiness” and was an extraordinary weaver. “Her laugh could fill the house and often did,” Block remembered. “She resonated joy and left everyone happier for being in her company.” “And she really loved a good drum circle,” she added. Helen was born on Aug. 10, 1937, the third child of Dr. George Pierce Warren, DDS, and Helen Knight Warren of Swarthmore, Pa. She was a resident of what is now the Vineland Training School in New Jersey from 1953-1976. She also attended the Elwyn Institute in Media, Pa., for training in food service and worked in the cafeteria at Swarthmore College for many years, where she was a friendly fixture on campus. Family members recall that Helen knew everyone in every store in Swarthmore and all the local police officers knew her by name. As a young woman, Helen traveled extensively with her mother, visiting Europe, many national parks and once going on an Alaskan cruise. Later in life, she made many trips to Fenway Park with family and with groups from The Highlands. Last year, just before the Covid-19 pandemic shut the country down, Helen made the trip of a lifetime – flying to Fort Myers, Fla., to take in the Red Sox at Spring Training with Susie Warren Hanley, her niece, main caregiver and most devoted companion. Susie had promised her father and Helen’s brother, Harry Knight Warren, before he passed away in 2016 that she would continue his tradition of care for his sister. It was a vow she kept to the end of Helen’s life. Helen is survived by her other brother, George P. Warren Jr. and his wife Trudy of Pennsylvania; five other nieces and nephews; and many grandnieces and grandnephews. Memorial services are pending. Memories and condolences can be shared at http://www.brackettfh.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Helen’s name can be made to Spindleworks online at: spindleworks.independenceassociation.org or by mail at 7 Lincoln St., Brunswick ME 04011 or the Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church by mail at MCPC, PO Box 211, Topsham, ME 04086 or via PayPal


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