Helen E. Coll

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – Coll, Helen Louise (English), 85, loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away July 24, 2024, at the Center for Hope Hospice and Palliative Care in Scotch Plains, NJ. Helen was a former long-time resident of the Capital District in New York.

Helen was born August 24, 1938, in Pittsburgh, PA to the late Derwood B. and Helen G. (Brunner) English and grew up in the surrounding area. Her father died when Helen was a child and she and her mother moved in with relatives and she enjoyed a multigenerational and boisterous childhood. Helen was a redhead with lots of curls who caught the eye of her future husband and the love of her life, William V. Coll (Bill), when they were both in their early teens. They married in 1958 and when Bill finished college they moved to Nuremberg, Germany, with a two-year old and a new baby in tow, where Bill served time in the U.S. Army guarding the Berlin Wall. They returned from Germany, now with three children, to establish themselves in Ballston Lake, NY while Bill worked as an engineer for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, NY. When their fourth child was born, they moved to a larger home and later Helen’s mother moved in with them.

Helen filled the house with love, laughter, friends, and relatives. Whatever the holiday, the house was decorated beyond compare and there was a lot of great food and festivities. The more the merrier was her philosophy and she created some of the best Halloween costumes of all time. She rang a cow bell to call her children in for dinner and she spent a good amount of time driving her kids to various sporting events, practices, allergy shots, and music lessons in an orange VW camper van. She camped, canoed, hiked, cross country skied, and swam in any pool, river, lake, or ocean she was around. She was convinced she was a mermaid! She took up running at the age of 40 and was a fierce competitor in road races winning many age group medals and competing in racewalking in the Empire State Games. She and Bill took up country line dancing and enjoyed boating in their pontoon boat, the USS Oasis. She absolutely cherished her dogs Nike, Willie, Maggie, and Max. She was an extremely talented gardener and had a love for flowers. She had the gift of making her flower gardens magical wherever she went.

Sadly, Helen lost her husband over 28 years ago. It was much too soon, but despite her grief she continued to take care of her mother and pour her love into her family, especially her grandchildren. She was always the “cool” grandma who built tree houses, leg wrestled, hosted Witches’ picnics in the woods, and she went down the big slides with them at water parks. Helen was fortunate enough to spend many years living near many of her grandchildren and traveling to visit others. She went to their soccer, baseball, and basketball games, to their track meets, swim meets, dance recitals, and school concerts. Helen shared with them her love of the beach and the water and whispered a few naughty words along the way. Helen was an incredibly loving and generous woman who shared numerous great experiences with all of her family. She was a devoted Catholic with a deep faith that she lived by. However, she was also kooky and unpredictable. She was not afraid to travel the world if it meant seeing her grandchildren. She was the life of the party when she was a snowbird in Florida and at her “senior” apartments. She won many costume and dance contests and refused several marriage proposals. You never knew what to expect from Helen. At age 72, she came back from church on the back of a motorcycle (left her car at church); at age 75 she got her first and only tattoo; and at age 77, she went up to a famous singer and gave him her phone number. She would randomly blast Bob Marley or Willie Nelson music. She spent her last seven years in Scotch Plains, NJ and although her health began to decline, she went to as many of her grandchildren’s events as possible and still managed to jump off the diving board into her daughter’s swimming pool. She was truly loved, and she will be deeply missed and remembered for all of her wonderful traits.

Helen is survived by her children Chris (Sharon) Coll of Chester, NY, Bob (Laura) Coll of Eugene, OR, Kathy (Glenn) Liebman of Guilderland, NY, and Bridget (Phil) Sherratt of Scotch Plains, NJ. Helen is also survived by her beloved grandchildren, Aimee Schurick of Altamont, NY, Frankie Liebman of Guilderland, NY, Hailey Coll of Spokane, WA, Billie Rose Sherratt of Scotch Plains, NJ, Henry Sherratt of Scotch Plains, NJ, and one great-grandchild, Andrew Gilboy of Altamont, NY. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Mary Jane (Walter) Rekito and her cousin Tom (Sharon) English and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The family would especially like to thank Chaplain Naomi McPeters and Deacon Don Hessemer for their spiritual guidance and friendship to Helen over many years.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Helen’s family on Wednesday, August 28, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Jones Funeral Home, 2020 Central Avenue, Colonie, NY. A service of remembrance will commence at 1:00 pm at the funeral home. Entombment will follow at the Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, 2501 Troy Schenectady Rd, Niskayuna, NY.

To leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.jonesfh.net.