Obituaries

Obituary: Helen Constant, 84, of Arlington

Constant died Thursday, Jan. 9.

The following is from Keefe Funeral Home.

Dr. Helen Constant, of Arlington, died Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. Born in Somerville on March 28, 1929.

Daughter of the late Charles and Bessie (Haritos) Constant. Dear sister of the late Panos Constant who was a dedicated teacher in the Wakefield Public School system for over 25 years. Helen leaves behind several cousins and friends.

Helen graduated from Somerville High School in 1947 where she was the Valedictorian. She continued her education and received a Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College, a Master of Science in Education from Boston University and Doctorate of Education from Columbia University.

Following her graduation, Helen returned to teach in the Somerville Public School system for a number of years where she was passionate about making a difference in the lives of her students before moving to Salem State College where she was the chair of the Graduate Program in Reading and taught English Literature, and also established the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award program in 1975, which helped promote literacy among children.

Helen traveled extensively throughout the world, including Greece, Portugal, Aruba, Thailand, Osaka, Egypt, Hong Kong and China. Helen was a member of St. Athanasius Greek Orthodox Church, Arlington for many years.

A visitation will be held at St. Athanasius Church, 4 Appleton St., Arlington, on Monday from noon to 1 p.m. A funeral service will immediately follow at 1 p.m. Burial in the Mount Auburn Cemetery. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Athanasius Church. For obituary, directions or to send a condolence, visit www.keefefuneralhome.com.


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