Helen Gillespie Plaia of Weston, Conn., formerly of Rye, N.Y., passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family on November 25, 2022. The cause was lung cancer.
Helen was born in New Rochelle, N.Y. on January 15, 1942. She attended Convent of the Sacred Heart and graduated from School of the Holy Child in 1959.
She moved to Rye to raise a family. For many years, she was a realtor with Houlihan Lawrence in Rye.
A beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, Mrs. Plaia is survived by her children, Dean, Greg (Marianne), and Jennifer Carberry; her grandsons, James Plaia, Michael and Ryan Carberry; her sister Jane (Jack) Steinthal; and sister-in-law, Meli (Mike) Martin. She was predeceased by her daughter, Lee Ann; her grandson, Timmy; and five of her siblings, George J. Gillespie III, Peter Gillespie, Mary Sandzen, Dorothy Duffy, and Barbara Childs. She was an aunt to 23 nieces and nephews and a mother-in-spirit to many more.
Helen was an active member and volunteer at her parish, St. Francis of Assisi, where she met and cultivated many meaningful friendships during her later years in Weston. She will be remembered for her love and devotion to family, her selflessness, her sharp wit and sense of humor and her strength and resilience. She was a great friend to many and will be profoundly missed by those who loved her.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection on December 2.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
