Remembering the life of Helen P. Mann (2024)

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Remembering the life of Helen P. Mann (1)

Helen P. Mann, a former Niagara Falls resident and educator, died Monday January 29, 2024, in Beechwood Nursing Home, Getzville, NY, a day after celebrating her 100th birthday.
Born January 28, 1924 in Niagara Falls, Helen was the daughter of the late Albert Peters and Nora Walker Peters.
In her youth, she spent wonderful summers in West Virginia with her many aunts, uncles and cousins. She attended Gaskill Junior High School and graduated from Niagara Falls High School at the top of her class. Helen commuted daily by bus to Buffalo State Teacher's College, where she received a BS in elementary education in 1945. She did her student teaching in the last one-room school house on Military Road in Niagara Falls.
Helen began teaching first grade at Maple Avenue School. Throughout her career she was regarded as a deeply caring educator who instilled a love of learning in all of her students.
In 1953, Helen married Joseph M. Mann after a chance meeting at Niagara Frontier Golf Course, where they were paired in a mixed couples outing. Over the years, she achieved the rare distinction of carding three holes-in-one. Helen and her husband, who died in 1987, resided in the DeVeaux area for many years, where they were active members of St. Teresa's Parish.
Returning to teaching after raising their six children, Helen became one of the first reading specialists in Niagara Falls. In the early 1970s, she worked with the late Mary Dyster to establish the Center for Young Parents at the former 10th Street School, an innovative program for teenage mothers in Niagara County that provided students with the opportunity and support to continue their education, learn parenting and life skills and graduate from high school. She taught there until her retirement in 1983.
Helen was venturesome, curious and always learning. Travel, golf, reading, crossword puzzles and bridge, but most importantly, caring for her family were the hallmarks of her retirement. Helen generously shared her kindness, wisdom and deep faith with everyone, always making room at the table for unexpected guests.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Joseph, her parents and a brother, Wesley. She is survived by her children, Marcia (late Charles) Steiner of Williamsville; Michael (Judy) Mann of Williamsville; Susan (late Frank) Mann Dolce of Buffalo; Mary (Richard) DeGiulio of Youngstown; Timothy (Kerry) Mann of Chapel Hill, NC; and Sara (David) Mann Kahris of Buffalo. Helen, whose most loved role was that of Gram and Mimi, is also survived by 19 grandchildren: Lillian, Iris, Natalie, Olivia, Joseph, Michele, Marc, Frank, Michael, Samuel, Nicole, Joelle, Julie, Matthew, Kate, Matthew, Thomas, Mark, and Colleen, as well as 25 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a dear niece and three nephews.
The family thanks Penny (Marie Johnson), the staffs at the Blocher Residence and Beechwood Nursing Home, especially the Eschelman House team, for the compassionate care and friendship they shared with Helen.
Friends may call on Friday, March 8, from 4 to 7 PM at M.J. COLUCCI & SON NIAGARA FUNERAL CHAPEL, 2730 MILITARY ROAD, NIAGARA FALLS, NY 14304. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, March 9, at 10 AM at St. Raphael Church (the former St. Teresa), 3840 Macklem Ave., Niagara Falls. Interment will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lewiston. Flowers are gratefully declined. Memorial contributions may be made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1298 Main St., Buffalo, NY, and to the Beechwood/Blocher Foundation, 2235 Millersport Highway, Getzville, NY, 14068-1219. Visit mjcoluccifuneralchapel.com for online condolences.

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Published on February 28, 2024

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Remembering the life of Helen P. Mann (2024)

FAQs

Who was Helen Keller's answer? ›

Who was Helen Keller? Helen Keller was an American author and educator who was blind and deaf. Her education and training represent an extraordinary accomplishment in the education of persons with these disabilities.

Which word did Helen learn first of all? ›

The first word learned by Helen was water. How: Anne Sullivan, Helen's teacher put Helen's hand under the stream and began spelling “w-a-t-e-r” into her palm, first slowly, then more quickly.

What was the most important day of my life by Helen Keller? ›

THE most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrasts between the two lives which it connects. It was the third of March, 1887, three months before I was seven years old.

What did Helen do for the blind and the deaf? ›

If students learn about any of Keller's accomplishments as an adult, they learn that she became the first Deafblind graduate of Radcliffe College (now Harvard University) in 1904, and worked for American Foundation for the Blind from the mid-1920s until her death in 1968, advocating for schools for the blind and ...

Why did Helen throw away her doll? ›

Anne kept on trying to teach Helen letters and words. She picked up the china doll again, spelling "doll" with sign language onto Helen's hand. Helen was still confused. She finally got so frustrated and angry, she threw the doll on the floor.

What type of girl was Helen? ›

Helen was a deaf,dump and blind girl who lost his vision at the age of 2 year after all she did not loose her hope towards getting a education. Her Parents found a teacher named Miss sullivan who was a great teacher she inspired her towards studies as well as taught many things to Helen.

What was Helen Keller's second word? ›

Anne took Helen to the water pump outside and put Helen's hand under the spout. As the cool water gushed over one hand, she spelled into the other hand the word "w-a-t-e-r" first slowly, then rapidly.

Did Helen Keller remember seeing anything? ›

But the truth was that Helen Keller never remembered seeing even a sliver of light or hearing birdsong. What she recalled privately to a friend was rubbing her distraught young mother's face until the skin sloughed off in patches.

What is the most important thing that Helen finally understood? ›

Helen understood that words are the most important things in the world.

What is the moral of the life of Helen Keller? ›

Your future is up to you.

But Helen Keller taught that our lives are truly in our own hands. She said, “What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.” So often we look for something or someone to make us happy when we need to be looking into ourselves for that positivity.

What is a short note on the life of Helen Keller? ›

Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, USA, in 1880, Helen Keller developed a fever at 18 months of age that left her blind and deaf. With the help of an exceptional teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan of the Perkins School for the Blind, Helen Keller learned sign language and braille. A few years later, she learned to speak.

What was Helen Keller's main goal in life? ›

Best remembered as an activist for disabled peoples, Keller also spoke out for woman suffrage, birth control, and pacifism. She was also a radical socialist who focused her efforts on working people's issues and became a member of the International Workers of the World.

What is Helen Keller's most famous quote? ›

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.

Did Helen Keller ever marry? ›

Did Keller ever marry? No, although she was briefly engaged and had many admirers. Keller's teacher and lifetime companion Sullivan did marry, however, and Keller lived with Sullivan and her husband, John Macy.

Did Helen Keller ever speak? ›

By the age of ten, Helen Keller was proficient in reading braille and in manual sign language and she now wished to learn how to speak. Anne took Helen to the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. The principal, Sarah Fuller, gave Helen eleven lessons. Then Anne took over and Helen learned how to speak.

How did Helen react after she found herself unable to express? ›

Answer: She was boxed up as she could not express herself. It was Miss Sullivan who helped her to break the shell. She taught her sign languages.

What made Helen angry as a little child? ›

Helen was the only child until mildred was born. She was used to being pampered and loved and so mildred was a obstacle for her. So Helen was always jealous of her .

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