Helen Catherine Quinn, 95, passed away on August 23, 2025, in Johns Creek, Georgia. She was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 21, 1930, to Ada Henrietta Kane (Greiner) and Hugh Roger Kane. She married John Aloysius Quinn in 1959. Together they raised 4 children.
Helen graduated high school in Park Ridge, NJ, at age 16, having skipped two grades. She worked as a secretary on Wall Street, studied nursing and worked in an orphanage. Her passion was volunteering, which was a full-time job for her. She started two charitable organizations in the 1970s that still exist: PageOne in Luray, VA and Help of Beaufort, SC.
Helen moved to Germany where she learned German by watching movies. It was there she met Lt. Colonel John Quinn (USAF). They had one son, Sean, in Frankfurt. They moved to Paris, France, with John’s company. Helen loved her years in Paris, although she had her hands full attending embassy parties, entertaining and raising three toddlers and a baby.
As a family the Quinns travelled to many places and lived in Germany, France, Australia and the U.S. Helen was especially fond of the Pacific Northwest, where she lived for a short time with her brother Roger Kane and his wife Edith while attending nursing school in Spokane, Washington. She started a Sunday School for children in a tiny post office there.
For 33 years Helen lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL where she was an active member of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church. She loved her close-knit rosary group, especially Alice Tatarcuk, her best friend and Mahjong buddy. They also enjoyed a good Manhattan and tea at the Lodge and Club. Also beloved to Helen were the Meiers, a family of eight who lived two doors down and embraced her as family after John died.
Helen is preceded in death by her husband, John Quinn; her mother Ada Graca; father Hugh Kane; stepfather Alipio Graca; two brothers Roger Kane and George Graca; and a sister, Alice Rust. She is survived by a sister, Ruth Johnson of Virginia Beach, VA, and four children: Sean Quinn of Johns Creek, GA; Diarmuid Quinn of Savannah, GA; Deirdre Jones (Kenneth) of Greenville, SC and Ciaran Quinn of Johns Creek, GA.
Also surviving are five grandchildren: Mitchell Jones of Greenville, SC; Quinn Jones of Atlanta, GA; Conor Quinn of Providence, Rhode Island; Erin Jones of Atlanta, GA, and Evan Quinn of Johns Creek, GA.
