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STRAITON, HELEN MARIE, 81
STRAITON, HELEN MARIE, 81, of Concord, N.H., died peacefully on June 10 at the Health Service Center of Havenwood-Heritage Heights, with family at her side. She was born on March 13, 1928, in Elizabeth, N.J., to Dr. Walter M. Hamilton and Marie Louise (Peck) Hamilton, and raised in Roselle Park. She and her siblings spent summer vacations at their grandfather's seaside cottage in Point Pleasant, N.J., where Helen fell in love with the ocean. Upon graduating from Roselle Park High School, she attended The Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Montclair, N.J., from which she graduated in 1949, as an RN. She continued her education at UVM, where she taught Nursing Arts at the Mary Fletcher School of Nursing. During this time, she met Deane A. Straiton of Barre, and on April 19, 1952, they were married. They settled down and raised their three children, first in Barre and then in Peekskill, N.Y. In 1964, the family moved to Eastham, Mass., on Cape Cod, where they remained for 41 years. Helen enjoyed the sand and surf, boating, sailing and salt water fishing, as did her family. As the children matured, Helen found time to pursue her nursing career. Volunteering with the American Cancer Society, she was service chairman for many years. She performed office nursing and for several summers ran the infirmary at Lake Farm Camp in Orleans. Later she performed home nursing in the communities on the Lower Cape. At home Helen reigned supreme in the kitchen. She tirelessly poured her heart and soul into making health-conscious meals and treats daily. Other favorite pastimes were knitting reading and container planting. Helen possessed an astounding encyclopedic knowledge of family geneology. She enjoyed taking her young children on nature walks, and her favorite bird to watch was the bluebird. Helen is predeceased by her parents, sister Margaret (Kingsland) Hamilton Smithberg of Minneapolis, Minn., and her brother Robert Hamilton of Gladwyne, Pa. Helen is survived by her husband Deane A. Straiton; three children, son Edward H. Straiton of Leominster, Mass., daughter Jane R. Straiton and son-in-law Paul Laffal of North Middlesex and daughter Marie L. Straiton and son-in-law Peter Satterfield of Pembroke, N.H.; and two grandchildren.
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