Helen Marie Counihan (née Trump, no relation) passed away peacefully at her beloved Loveladies home on July 14, 2022, at the age of 89. A world traveler who valued family above all else, she’ll be missed by everyone who knew her.
It’s difficult to summarize Helen’s life and the impact she had on everyone around her. She loved a good romance novel, made beautiful watercolor paintings, and was devoted to her beloved “great grand-puppies,” Bandit and Coco. She had a dry sense of humor and a quick wit, and she was generous with both her time as well as her money and her love. She wasn’t materialistic, but she appreciated a stylish pair of shoes, a fashionable scarf, or a good statement broach. She loved the Great British Baking Show and Shrek, and followed NASCAR. She was endlessly proud of her son Brian and her granddaughters Siobhan and Erin, and she didn’t hesitate to tell anyone who would listen.
Helen was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of Arthur and Mary (née Fletcher) Trump. She lived in a 3-floor walk-up in the Bronx with her parents, as well as her brother Arthur. It was on that very block she met the love of her life, Patrick Joseph “Joe” Counihan, Sr. Their life would be forever bound together after surviving a plane hit while driving on the Palisades Parkway in 1951. They married the day after Christmas in 1953, unsure if he would be able to get leave from the Army, and she never stopped missing him after he passed away in 2013.
Helen was a city girl, but she never lost touch with her family’s roots in North Adams, MA. She was a 1950 graduate of Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary in the Bronx, followed by Secretarial school. She worked for a publishing company for a while before becoming a stay-at-home mother. After returning to the workforce, Helen earned her Associate of Arts degree from Somerset County College in 1979 and then her Bachelor of Science degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1986. She enjoyed a long career at American Hoechst as an Executive Administrative Assistant before retiring from what is now known as Sanofi-Aventis.
Helen lived in Creskill, NJ, for 6 years before moving to Bridgewater, NJ, where she and Joe raised their sons Patrick Jr. (deceased) and Brian. Helen & Joe lived there for 30 years before taking up permanent residence in their summer home on Long Beach Island in 1995. While in Bridgewater, Helen & Joe regularly took their boys on camping and fishing trips, and she attended every band concert, sports match, and Boy Scouts event that Patrick Jr. & Brian had.
Helen kept in touch with countless cousins and far-flung relatives, many of whom she visited across the US and even in Ireland. She shared her love of travel first with her sons, enjoying camping trips all over the country, and later her granddaughters, with whom she & Joe took summer trips in their RV to Wyoming, Georgia, Wisconsin, and all points between. She still made a point to travel later in life, whether it was going to Iceland with her granddaughter Erin, traveling to Los Angeles to visit her granddaughter Siobhan, or touring France & Normandy with her son Brian. She also continued to support Brian, Siobhan, and Erin in all of their endeavors, whether it was school graduations or bagpipe competitions, both in the US and abroad.
She was an active member of her community, volunteering with the Garden Club of Long Beach Island and its annual house tours, as well as attending St. Clare’s Catholic Church in Loveladies. She was also an active bridge club member and, in more recent years, maintained a lively social life via a de facto Friday night supper club with her many friends.
Helen kept in touch with countless cousins and far-flung relatives, many of whom she visited across the US and even in Ireland. She shared her love of travel first with her sons, enjoying camping trips all over the country, and later her granddaughters, with whom she & Joe took summer trips in their RV to Wyoming, Georgia, Wisconsin, and all points between. She still made a point to travel later in life, whether it was going to Iceland with her granddaughter Erin, traveling to Los Angeles to visit her granddaughter Siobhan, or touring France & Normandy with her son Brian. She also continued to support Brian, Siobhan, and Erin in all of their endeavors, whether it was school graduations or bagpipe competitions, both in the US and abroad.
She was an active member of her community, volunteering with the Garden Club of Long Beach Island and its annual house tours, as well as attending St. Clare’s Catholic Church in Loveladies. She was also an active bridge club member and, in more recent years, maintained a lively social life via a de facto Friday night supper club with her many friends.
For all of those who loved Helen, we ask that you join us in celebrating her life and sharing her stories at the Thos. L Shinn Funeral Home in Manahawkin on Wednesday, July 27, from 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 9 pm. A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Thursday, July 28, at 12 noon, with an Irish wake to follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in LBI (https://www.stfrancisparishlbi.org/donate) or St. John of God Community Services in Westville, NJ (https://www.sjogcs.org).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shinnfuneralhome.com for the Counihan family.
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