Helen Nellie Carr, 93, of San Diego, California passed away in her daughter’s home on May 9, 2019. Helen was born on January 25, 1926 to Joseph and Lena Natarelli in Boston Massachusetts. Helen had 12 brothers and sisters. She is survived by one brother.
In April 1942, Helen married her first love, Dominic Lancelotte. While Dominic was away at war, Helen did her part as a welder working to build navy ships. Helen & Dominic were married for 3 years before he passed away in 1945 from an old illness while in transit aboard ship coming home from the war. They had one daughter named Helen also nicknamed Cookie.
Helen’s sister Anna and a friend took her to a dance where she met Edward Carr. He told her he was going to marry her one day. At one point, she was in a sanitorium recovering from tuberculosis for a year while he continued courting her and brought Cookie with him for the visits. He married her on August 8, 1947. They had 4 children together: Edward, Diane, Donna & Melody.
After getting married, Helen lived in Boston for 3 years, where she worked as a seamstress while taking care of her mother. Her father passed during this time. Edward and Helen decided to move to California for a job at Ryan Aeronautical. In 1963, they moved to the Radcliffe house where many happy and memorable family occasions were celebrated for 54 years. Edward passed away on March 15, 1975.
After the death of her second love Ed, Helen worked very hard to support her two children remaining at home and provided a good life. She was active at church, sewed, cooked, even did her own plumbing and graced the roads with her scary driving escapades up to age 90. She loved everyone she came across and showed comfort to those in need. She had a very warm heart, and many called her “mom”.
Helen was a loving mother-in-law to Glenn, Renee, Bill & Mike, grandmother to 16 grandchildren, 16+ great grandchildren, and 1 great–great grandchild. She had many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by both of her parents, both husbands, 11 brothers & sisters, and her grandson James Carr.
Her funeral will be held on Tuesday – May 28, 2019, at El Camino Memorial.
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