Helen Boardman, a resident of Emeritus Senior Living (assisted living) Facility in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, passed away on August 23, 2012. She was age 94.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence & Bertha Knight.
She is survived by her son Dennis Boardman, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey and her daughter Diana (Paul) Bernard of Delanson, New York. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Kurt (Tammy) Boardman of Cherry Hill, NJ, Karin (Craig) Barlow of Marlton, NJ, Kathi (Rich) Jarvis of Clayton, NC, Kandee (Pat) Simpson of Utica, NY, Keith Johnson of Howell, NJ, Kraig Johnson of Delanson, NY, and 12 great grandchildren.
Helen was born in Warren, PA and was a graduate from Warren HS, class of 1936.
She had lived in Sheffield, PA since 1937. She was owner and operator of Helen's Style Shop for 65 years before retiring in 2002.
She enjoyed baking, knitting, sewing, traveling, and especially spending time with her family. She was an avid participant in the Polka Boosters and was a member for over 20 years, where she was fondly referred to as "The Polka Queen".
The family will have a private prayer service in her memory in Mount Laurel, NJ. There will be a memorial service at the Methodist Church in Sheffield at a date to be announced. Interment will follow the service.
Those who want to express their condolences can do so by responding to www.bradleyfuneralhome.com and type the name of the person you are interested in honoring.
A Tribute To A True Lady
A week ago a wonderful woman passed away, who for six decades set the fashion tone and style for ladies in the Valley, and those who sought her knowledge. Helen Boardman was known far and wide as the owner of Helen's Style Shop. Long before it was popular for women to work outside the home, nevertheless own and operate a business, Helen did it well. She was successful because she knew her clientele and operated on the premise that "the customer is always right."
She traveled to shows and picked out complete ensembles that would allow the working woman some versatility in her wardrobe, and gave the stay at home mom some style.
Many of her customers were men. The husbands of her clients would stop early in the Fall and check out the newest collections that filled her shelves and racks. With Helen's help, she would guide the men with their purchases and then would wrap the gifts. Helen knew her customers' favorite colors and styles and was a great help to those shopping for wives, sisters, aunts, or grandmothers. A week or so before Christmas, the husbands could stop and pick up their packages all wrapped complete with ribbons, each having a tag explaining what was inside.
In addition to being a business owner, Helen was also a wonderful homemaker. She enjoyed baking and cooking, and felt that at least two cookies a day added to a balanced diet. When she moved to New Jersey and a household sale was held at her residence, the editor purchased her "Cookie Cookbook," complete with notations by Helen concerning her favorite recipes. She also had left inside a list of the cookies she baked each year for her annual Christmas Open House for customers.
Helen was a petite lady who enjoyed fashion. She always looked stylish and taught by example. We were fortunate enough to have Helen and a friend travel abroad with us several times during the 1980s. I learned that she packed only black and khaki clothing. Mixing and matching was very simple and she looked stunning every day or evening.
Because of her slight stature, early in her life she had learned to walk quickly to keep up with the taller folks in her life. Helen was always out in front on a walking tour and those feet loved to move to music, as well. Helen enjoyed polka music and other forms of dancing. For decades she attended a Sunday evening dance group. She felt "keeping moving" was very important to living a healthy older life.
When Helen closed the doors to her shop and decided to move closer to her children, her customers and friends were sad. We missed her, but knew it was for the best. She may be gone, but many of the lessons she taught the ladies in the Valley about fashion will live on. We know there is a true lady and trend setter in Heaven.