Helen
M. "Nana"
Leger
April 28, 2020
Born in Clonmel of County Tipperary, Ireland
Resided in Saunderstown, Rhode Island
Helen M. (Power) Leger, “Nana,” 78 of Saunderstown, Rhode Island, and originally, Clonmel of County Tipperary, Ireland arrived at her “final destination” on April 28. She passed away peacefully and was surrounded by the dedicated and loving staff of the Scalabrini Nursing Home.
Helen left her family and homeland of Ireland at age 18 with her beloved sister, Ronnie (then, 17) to pursue her destiny in America. She allowed God to guide her every decision and she was certain there was a life waiting for her in the “States.” At the age of a high school senior, she fully understood the meaning of sacrifice.
Helen was truly a gentle lady who exuded softness and fragility but there was nothing fragile in her spirit. Arriving and settling in Providence, Rhode Island, and working at the Industrial National Bank and then Waterman Pediatrics under Dr. Wilson F. Utter, she was blessed to finally meet the love of her life, Al Leger. Helen and Al were a model for married couples and the fullness of their love blossomed with the birth of their children and eventually grandchildren. Faith guided her every step and she knew her Christian life demanded sacrifice and suffering and that thorns always accompanied the roses.
A passionate lover of birds and flowers, her most prized flowers were her grandchildren! She showered them with love and fortified them with her unique wisdom. She was known far and wide for her passion for singing and dancing and she could barely keep her feet still in all circumstances and music was not even required. She had plenty of that in her heart! In addition to music and nature, she also loved poetry and song. She bravely recited some lines from the following poem “Farewell” by Thomas Moore at the funeral of her most beloved sister, Ronnie. It was appropriate then for her sister and it is appropriate now as we remember the grace-filled “scent of Helen”:
Long, long be my heart with such memories fill'd,
Like the vase in which roses have once been distill'd.
You may break, you may ruin the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang 'round it still.
In addition to her husband, Al, Helen is survived by her loving children, John P. Leger (wife, Krissy Leger) of San Antonio, Texas and Tara Reddington (husband, David Reddington) of Narragansett, Rhode Island; cherished grandchildren, Nicholas Leger, Samuel Reddington, Benjamin Reddington, Margaret “Meg” Reddington, Grace Reddington ✝ who entered into eternal life in April 4, 2019, and Lily Reddington. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her caring siblings, Mai (Power) Hoadley, James “Fergal” Power, John “Sean” Power, and Veronica “Ronnie” (Power) Greene.
In closing, her own words in her own script were discovered at the time of her passing, written out on a scrap of paper, undoubtedly intended to provide comfort to a friend suffering a loss of a loved one at the time, but ultimately, destined to provide that same comfort to her own family at the hour of her heavenly departure.
“I believe that we all came from God, that life here is the journey, and that Heaven is our destination, where there is unending love and joy. Life would have no purpose without a destination. Like any journey, if we get on a train without a destination it would be pointless. But life is not pointless but purposeful. The length of our journey is predestined by God, who gave us our beginning.”
Helen, you have done well. You have created such a beautiful garden here on earth and the scent of your grace, gentleness, and love will always linger…
May God bless you and may you enjoy the arrival into the everlasting garden of peace in Paradise.
Her Mass of Christian Burial will be privately held in St. Thomas More Church of Narragansett, Rhode Island. A live streaming of her Mass will be held on Friday, May 1, 2020 at 11 AM and can be found at https://livestream.com/stm
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome in honor of Grace Reddington will be appreciated: Rett Syndrome Foundation, 4600 Devitt Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45246, https://www.rettsyndrome.org/get-involved/donate/
Helen left her family and homeland of Ireland at age 18 with her beloved sister, Ronnie (then, 17) to pursue her destiny in America. She allowed God to guide her every decision and she was certain there was a life waiting for her in the “States.” At the age of a high school senior, she fully understood the meaning of sacrifice.
Helen was truly a gentle lady who exuded softness and fragility but there was nothing fragile in her spirit. Arriving and settling in Providence, Rhode Island, and working at the Industrial National Bank and then Waterman Pediatrics under Dr. Wilson F. Utter, she was blessed to finally meet the love of her life, Al Leger. Helen and Al were a model for married couples and the fullness of their love blossomed with the birth of their children and eventually grandchildren. Faith guided her every step and she knew her Christian life demanded sacrifice and suffering and that thorns always accompanied the roses.
A passionate lover of birds and flowers, her most prized flowers were her grandchildren! She showered them with love and fortified them with her unique wisdom. She was known far and wide for her passion for singing and dancing and she could barely keep her feet still in all circumstances and music was not even required. She had plenty of that in her heart! In addition to music and nature, she also loved poetry and song. She bravely recited some lines from the following poem “Farewell” by Thomas Moore at the funeral of her most beloved sister, Ronnie. It was appropriate then for her sister and it is appropriate now as we remember the grace-filled “scent of Helen”:
Long, long be my heart with such memories fill'd,
Like the vase in which roses have once been distill'd.
You may break, you may ruin the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang 'round it still.
In addition to her husband, Al, Helen is survived by her loving children, John P. Leger (wife, Krissy Leger) of San Antonio, Texas and Tara Reddington (husband, David Reddington) of Narragansett, Rhode Island; cherished grandchildren, Nicholas Leger, Samuel Reddington, Benjamin Reddington, Margaret “Meg” Reddington, Grace Reddington ✝ who entered into eternal life in April 4, 2019, and Lily Reddington. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her caring siblings, Mai (Power) Hoadley, James “Fergal” Power, John “Sean” Power, and Veronica “Ronnie” (Power) Greene.
In closing, her own words in her own script were discovered at the time of her passing, written out on a scrap of paper, undoubtedly intended to provide comfort to a friend suffering a loss of a loved one at the time, but ultimately, destined to provide that same comfort to her own family at the hour of her heavenly departure.
“I believe that we all came from God, that life here is the journey, and that Heaven is our destination, where there is unending love and joy. Life would have no purpose without a destination. Like any journey, if we get on a train without a destination it would be pointless. But life is not pointless but purposeful. The length of our journey is predestined by God, who gave us our beginning.”
Helen, you have done well. You have created such a beautiful garden here on earth and the scent of your grace, gentleness, and love will always linger…
May God bless you and may you enjoy the arrival into the everlasting garden of peace in Paradise.
Her Mass of Christian Burial will be privately held in St. Thomas More Church of Narragansett, Rhode Island. A live streaming of her Mass will be held on Friday, May 1, 2020 at 11 AM and can be found at https://livestream.com/stm
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome in honor of Grace Reddington will be appreciated: Rett Syndrome Foundation, 4600 Devitt Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45246, https://www.rettsyndrome.org/get-involved/donate/
Private Mass
St. Thomas More Church
53 Rockland Street
Narragansett, RI US 02882
Narragansett, RI US 02882
Rett Syndrome Foundation
4600 Devitt Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
Live Stream Link - St. Thomas More Church
53 Rockland Street
Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882
Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882
