Helen Marie Searing

The world lost a matriarch for a loving family, Helen Marie Searing, who passed on July 5, 2022, one day prior to her 88th birthday. She passed at her home in Chester, MD, after a heroic struggle with lymphoma. Born in 1934, she was the eldest daughter of farmer Eugene Dennis Elgrim and Johanna Agnes (Huley) Elgrim. Helen often shared memories of growing up on a large farm in Edinburgh, NJ, with her five siblings, two of which survive her: Fred Elgrim and Carole Sincoskie. She was an active leader in the 4-H. She graduated from Princeton High School in 1952. Helen attended the College of Saint Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ, studying Home Economics graduating in 1956. She became a teacher in the Trenton, NJ, school district and soon met her husband, Ronald Gordon Searing. They were married two years later in 1958 and started raising their family of five children in Old Bridge, NJ, before moving to Arnold, MD, in 1972. Helen stayed home during her children's elementary school years, then returned to teaching sewing and became a proficient and esteemed seamstress. She also loved sports and was in many bowling and softball leagues. She was a terrific mother and even won a Mother's Day award for excellence in raising her five children: Mary Ann Curry (Glenn), Patricia Lynn Dicus (John), Robert (Drew) Searing (Puma), James Gary Searing (Mary Watras Searing), and David John Searing (Lori). Taking advantage of her husband's airline benefits, she and Ron took their children on several family trips to places as diverse as Niagara Falls; Disneyland in CA; and Acapulco, Mexico. Local road trips, in their brown station wagon, included historical sites like Gettysburg and Williamsburg. After her husband passed in 2004, she became active in the local Red Hat Society, attending many fun trips and events with her new lady friends. She also loved line-dancing, bingo, and hosting card clubs at her home. She loved visiting her son in San Diego, CA, and going on road trips with her brother, Fred, especially to South Carolina to visit her cousin, Dot. She was a devoted Catholic who taught CCD and shared her religious devotion with her family. She did everything in her considerable power to set an example of faith, love, and service to her children and progeny. She leaves a five-generational legacy: five children, nine grandchildren,13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter, all of whom will miss her dearly, but will remember her as a role-model of matriarchal kindness, love, and humor. She is survived by the formerly mentioned family members and predeceased by siblings Dennis Eugene Elgrim, Margaret (Peg) DeSandre, and Mary Lou Elgrim. A visitation will be held on Monday, July 11, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and again from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, 106 Shamrock Road, Chester, MD 21619. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, July 12, at 10:00 AM at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church, 1861 Harbor Dr., Chester, MD 21619. In lieu of flowers the family is requesting for donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at https://www.mskcc.org/ or Hospice of the Chesapeake at https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/giving/

Helen Marie Searing

July 6, 1934 - July 5, 2022