Helen Sheila Whooley D’Arcy, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend, passed into eternal life during Holy Week.
A woman of deep and steady faith, Helen had a particular devotion to the Sacred Heart. A longtime parishioner of Saint Patrick’s in Yorktown, she attended daily Mass whenever she could and enjoyed many happy occasions with the parish seniors’ club.
Known for her warm, friendly personality and boundless energy, Helen was both big spirited and big hearted. She possessed the rare gift of being able to make friends wherever she went and endearing herself to everyone who crossed her path. There was nothing she enjoyed more than being able to brighten someone’s day with a friendly greeting, sweet compliment, humorous remark, or just sharing her contagious smile.
Helen was gifted with both internal and external beauty. She had radiant blue eyes that would illuminate her face and touch your heart. Helen was proud to have inherited her “baby blues” from her father and passed them on to her son, Rob, and grandson, Jack.
Born to Michael and Hannah (Hourihan) Whooley, immigrants from County Cork, Ireland, Helen was raised in the South Bronx, a place she held close to her heart. She attended Saint Jerome’s Parish School, where she may have unknowingly crossed paths with the young boy who would become her future husband, Bob D’Arcy, and later graduated from Aquinas High School. After high school, Helen worked for the Empire Trust Company for a decade before dedicating herself to raising her family and caring for her parents. She later returned to the workforce and spent fourteen years with Joseph E. Seagram & Sons – although a wonderful career, she valued the camaraderie with her colleagues even more.
On the homefront, Helen was a devoted and loving mother who took great pride in her home and family. She was a passionate advocate for her children's education, spending countless hours reading with them and sharing in the joy of stories. Dedicated to her maternal teaching role, Helen passed along her love of learning to her children. She took special delight in helping them learn to read and held a deep appreciation for proper grammar. Her children affectionately teased her for being the “grammar police”, always ready to explain which pronoun would take the nominative case, and encouraging their expanding vocabulary and proficiency in spelling. She filled her home with her love of music, dance, movies, and literature, creating a lively and nurturing environment. Her children fondly remember her dancing an Irish jig in the kitchen and singing the traditional songs her own mother had once taught her - performances that required no special occasion. She was also unapologetically quite proud of her cooking - most specifically her lasagna and stuffing, family favorites of which there were never leftovers.
She cherished time spent with her daughters, especially their weekends away and trips into New York City, which reliably included a stop for a photo in front of the Radio City Christmas Tree – because some traditions are non-negotiable.
Helen was old school Bronx Irish Catholic – devoted to her faith and proud of her heritage. More than just a physical location, for her the South Bronx was a very special place to grow up and she cherished the sense of community, values, and friendships from that place and time.
Her life was blessed by some truly lifelong friendships of eighty or so years. The love and support of Kay Quinlivan, Josephine Mullins, and the late Mary Jane Walsh, carried her through so many of life’s highs and lows. Their friendships were marked by loyalty, humor, and shared history beginning in the South Bronx – it is difficult to find the words to describe the depth of their devotion to each other.
Anyone that knew Helen couldn’t help but also know how much she adored her fur babies. A lifelong feline fancier, her “gingers” held a very special place in her heart – Tristan & Rory, Connor & Kieran, Shannon & Kelly, each of whom was treated very much as a “purrfurred” member of the family.
Helen described herself, with a smile, as a “gym bunny” and truly loved her extended fitness family. A familiar and enthusiastic presence at Club Fit in Jefferson Valley, Helen embraced everything from aqua Zumba to kickboxing to workouts on the gym equipment. Her energy at Club Fit earned her the nickname “Wiggles.” Most importantly, the friendships formed with fellow members and staff alike were a lasting source of joy and fun.
A real news junkie, Helen had a true passion for politics and enjoyed current events and history. Her interest in history was shared with her brother and inspired by their father. She took great pride in their common bond. Helen enjoyed classic films as well and was an avid viewer of Turner Classic Movies. She could talk at length about any movie and the professional (and personal!) lives of the leading ladies and men of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Helen truly enjoyed nature, plants, flowers, and so many parks both near and far. The changing of the seasons would bring a traditional annual visit to different parks. Every spring, there was great anticipation for the fresh blooms of the Lilac Path at Lasdon Arboretum. In the summer, the annual road trip to visit the rose gardens at FDR’s Hyde Park would be planned. More recently she delighted in the Christmas displays at Untermeyer Gardens. Of course, as a Bronx native, she had a lifelong affinity for the New York Botanical Gardens stemming from her courtship days with her husband to be. In better times, she was a regular visitor to Lasdon in particular, becoming friendly with some of the caretakers and just basking in the beauty of “her estate”. The local garden centers were her happy place – sometimes just walking the aisles to enjoy the sights and scents, but also often loading up her car with countless annuals, perennials, and house plants.
Helen had the heart of a warrior. The last few years, however, were physically and at times emotionally difficult. She faced these health challenges with courage, determination, resilience, and faith. Helen and her family were deeply grateful for the compassionate care and dedication shown by the staff at Northern Westchester Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Helen is survived by her loving children Alicia, Patricia, and Robert and daughter-in-law Annie; her cherished grandchildren, Jack and Grace; her sister-in-law and dear friend Lucy; her brother-in-law Frank and sister-in-law Nancy; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members. She was predeceased by her devoted husband, Bob; her brother Gene; sisters-in-law Cathleen and Patricia; brother-in-law Andy; and nephews Brian and Drew.
Helen was a real force of nature – may we all live our lives with such passion and joie-de-vivre. She will be remembered for the same joy she brought to so many others. In her honor, family and friends might do what she would have enjoyed most: share a good story, have a laugh, and perhaps raise a glass of red wine, or a mug of Starbucks, to her memory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Helen’s name to: Saint Patrick’s Church Good Samaritan Fund https://stpatricks-yorktown.org/giving, Lasdon Public Gardens & Veterans Memorial https://www.lasdonpublicgardens.org/donate-now/, Northern Westchester Hospital https://www.nwhconnect.org/ or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center https://giving.mskcc.org/
