MORIN, HELEN MARIE. Passed away peacefully on October 31, 2025 at the age of 93. Born Helen Marie Prachniak, to Peter and Mary Helen (Helen) Prachniak, in Worcester, Massachusetts, on October 15, 1932. Her name, along with those of her father, mother, sisters, and brothers, was changed to Pratt in 1938 because of anti-Polish sentiment. She is survived by her six children – Theodore, Peter, Thomas, John, Andrew and Elizabeth – and eighteen grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and her sister, Mary (Jane) O’Leary, and a brother, Paul Henry Pratt.

During the Great Depression, Helen’s father, a postman, sent needy children he encountered along his route to his house, where Helen’s mother would feed them lunch. Helen continued her mother’s tradition, serving at the Pine Street Inn in Boston, and Meals on Wheels in Needham. Helen was an avid gardener, with annual vegetable gardens timed according to her father’s planting advice. She was very active as a youth, joining a cycling club and spending summers as a life guard and camp counsellor. She always loved being active and outdoors, from swimming the length of Lake Quinsigamond to skiing into her 80’s with the Cape Cod Ski Club, paddle tennis to ice skating.

After graduating from St. Stephen’s High School in 1950, Helen earned a scholarship to Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, where she graduated in May 1954. It was at St. Stephen’s High School that she met Theodore Morin, whom she married on November 25, 1954. She and Ted kept up with friends from St. Stephen’s for their entire lives. Helen loved learning, and college was not the end. She earned a teaching license and taught during the first year of her marriage, and in January 1971, with six children under her care, she was admitted to the graduate program in Library Science at Simmons College in Boston, where she earned her degree. Although she was never formally employed as a librarian, she served at Trinity Church in Boston and in countless schools her children attended, in addition to serving on the Board of Trustees for the Dennis Public Libraries on Cape Cod.

Helen loved children and saw her time as a camp counsellor and teacher as a natural line to motherhood. As a grandmother she created a special trip for each of her 17 grandchildren: from ten years old, they got a birthday trip with Nanny each year, planned according to the child’s interests, which included skiing, tea parties, Broadway shows, and medieval weapons displays. She kept close track of each child and endeavored to know them all as individuals.

Helen taught herself many things, including sewing, knitting and needlework. She knit argyle socks during college lectures, and countless sweaters, mittens and hats. She knit an afghan for each grandchild. She sewed many of the baby clothes for her children, and mended and altered clothing on a regular basis. Her needlework included complex crewel.

Helen enjoyed a strong, loving sixty year marriage. Meeting as teenagers, she and Ted were close friends until his death in 2013. They lived in Worcester, Needham and West Dennis, Massachusetts, as well as New Canaan and East Haven, Connecticut. They lived longest in West Dennis, where they were active members of the West Dennis Yacht club. Helen volunteered at the Melody Tent and had many bridge and book groups. They were rich in friends and enjoyed fine dining, travel, their kids and each other. They travelled the world together – climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, touring the capitals of Europe, exploring Japan, China, and Thailand. Helen continued this tradition with her sister, Jane, after Ted’s death in 2013.

She had a full and happy life and died peacefully after celebrating her 93rd birthday with her children and grandchildren. A memorial Mass will be held in August, 2026. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Helen's name to your local food pantry or shelter.

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