The Life of Mrs. Helen Anne Ballantyne

Helen Anne Ballantyne, 81 of Fairfield, CT, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on January 1, 2022, at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

She was born in New York City on January 20, 1940, the daughter of the late Helen (Mulholland) and James T. Aspbury, Sr., and grew up in Millbrook, New York, developing a lifelong love of horses and riding.

After completing high school, Helen attended Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, graduating as a double major in English and Drama (another lifelong passion). She moved to Baltimore, MD, completed her Master’s Degree in English at Johns Hopkins University and began working at Baltimore Center Stage in its early days. From there Helen moved to a job at the Baltimore Sun as a theater and film critic and interviewed such legendary actors as Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum. It was also at the Sun that Helen met her husband Ed, with whom she had 55 years of incredibly happy marital adventures. 

A longtime resident of Suffern, New York prior to her recent move to Fairfield, Helen was beloved for her formidable intelligence, humor, energy, warmth, vibrancy and devotion to her family and friends. She was an active member of the liturgical team at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ and acted in a number of community theater productions.

Helen is survived by her husband, Ed; her daughters Jessica Gerber and her husband, Bill and Leslie Ballantyne; her grandchildren John and Gillian Gerber; her brother, Herb Aspbury and a large and loving extended family. She is predeceased by her brother, Lt. Col. James T. Aspbury, Jr., and her grandson, Teddy Gerber.

A private service will be held on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 11:00 am at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fairfield, CT with a larger memorial to take place in the spring at the Church of the Presentation.