Helen Elizabeth Fitzgerald Graybeal, 85, of Conowingo, MD, passed away June 9, 2013 at Calvert Manor Healthcare Center. A lifelong resident of Cecil County, Helen was born in Colora on August 24, 1927, the daughter of the late Sam and Mary Fitzgerald. For most of her life, she was a homemaker, raising four children. Later,Continue Reading
Helen Elizabeth Fitzgerald Graybeal, 85, of Conowingo, MD, passed away June 9, 2013 at Calvert Manor Healthcare Center.
A lifelong resident of Cecil County, Helen was born in Colora on August 24, 1927, the daughter of the late Sam and Mary Fitzgerald. For most of her life, she was a homemaker, raising four children. Later, she and her family established their business, Susquehanna Campgrounds and was active in the business until her retirement in 1988. She was a member of West Nottingham Presbyterian Church. Helen enjoyed gardening, was an avid reader and loved animals. She will be dearly missed by her loving extended family and many friends.
Helen is survived by a daughter, Karen Cunningham; two sons, Gary and William Graybeal, all of Conowingo; five grandchildren, William, Andrew, Kelly, Timothy and Daniel. Also treasuring her memory is Ken Cunningham and Cathy Lundy. She was preceded in death by her son Eric and husband of 40 years, Fred Graybeal.
A service honoring her life will be held at West Nottingham Presbyterian Church Wednesday June 12, 2013 at 2:00 p.m., with a visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to West Nottingham Presbyterian Church c/o R.T. Foard Funeral Home, P.A. 111 S. Queen St., Rising Sun, MD 21911.
ANDREW GRAYBEAL
left a message on July 6, 2018:
I'm not sure what made me visit this page today but I'm glad I did. I was daydreaming, thinking about you as I often do. So I decided to see if this obituary was still here. After finding it, I read all the comments posted by friends and family. A lot of beautiful and precious memories. You are gone but far from being forgotten. I love you Grandmom and miss you like crazy.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on August 24, 2015:
Remembering you on your birthday, Mom. I wish hadn't taken them all for granted.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2015:
It stuns me to think only two years have gone by without you. It seems like much, much longer. I know I will miss you and love you forever. I dream of you often. I think perhaps, the depth of my grief is a mirror of the depth of the love we shared. I love you, Mom.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 5, 2014:
It's been almost a year, and I miss you just as much. Maybe I always will, because that's how important you were to me, an everyday touch of love.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on April 6, 2014:
I witnessed my mother's grief when my brother Eric was killed. It was the worst pain imaginable. So, wild dogwood flowers became an important symbol to us.
Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on February 23, 2014:
Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on October 8, 2013:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjSix58CXQQ
Kelly Arnold
left a message on June 18, 2013:
My grandmother was always right next door as I grew up. She was kind, loved to laugh, and was such a good listener. She raised four kids and then she helped raise five grandkids. I think my brothers and cousins agree with me that Grandmom was like a third parent; a second mother to all of us. When four boys were chasing me around, I went to Grandmom's. If I needed a snack or a hug, I went to Grandmom's. Her door was always open from the minute we were born. When I was in elementary school, I heard another girl complain about having to visit her grandmother. I was genuinely confused. Why would anyone be upset about visiting their grandparents? Visiting my grandmother was always a treat! I have so many wonderful memories of Grandmom. There were trips to visit her sisters, trips to the library, and trips into Amish country. We always brought Dolly along and we always stopped for ice cream on the way home. There were afternoons spent looking at old pictures and stories about my mom and uncles from when they were children. I remember when she bought a CD player and we danced in the living room. I loved "helping" her cook and feed the birds. When we were little, my brother Danny wrote in crayon that she is "old enough to be my Grandmom, but young enough to be my friend." We all felt that way about her.
Bill Skaff
left a message on June 14, 2013:
Helen accepted and welcomed me with grace and good humor. I knew her to be intelligent and refined, yet strong and self-reliant. She possessed the fortitude to face the rigors of nature even as she had the sensitivity to love nature’s beauty, to the smallest hummingbird. Cultured and well-read, she nevertheless valued family most of all. It was readily apparent to me that Helen the mother was immensely proud of her daughter Karen the mother, as only a mother, who knows the mysteries of motherhood, could be. Also apparent was the joy that she took in the music that her children made, even as adults routinely asking if they were playing their instruments. Knowing that Karen was of the land, it was Helen who introduced me to North Country living through a series of stories, her parables to me. We will miss Helen and the her love that bound a family together, even as we celebrate those wonderful qualities of the Fitzgerald women that live on in her daughter and her granddaughter.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 14, 2013:
Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you picked, the fragrance of life itself . She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well. She's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow. She is Christmas morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. She's crystallized in every teardrop. She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love; your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space...not even death.
Kenny Cunningham
left a message on June 11, 2013:
If you knew Helen words could never do justice to describe her. I was 25 years old when I lost my own Mother back in Liverpool. I first met Helen in 1980 and knew her for the next thirty three years. You often hear cliches like " She hasn't got a bad bone in her body.." Helen lived up to every cliche you could manufacture. She was the nicest person I have ever met...I'm really going to miss her....Love you always Helen!
Kelly Arnold
left a message on June 11, 2013:
When I was 9 years old, Grandmom’s dog Lizzie died. My grandmother was always close to her dogs - it’s almost hard to imagine her without a poodle at her side. The morning Lizzie died, my cousins and brothers and I drew pictures and wrote letters to Grandmom. We didn’t want her to be sad anymore. Danny was too young to write, so Andy wrote “I love you” on a sheet of paper and Danny colored in the rest of the page. Last night, I looked through some of Grandmom’s albums to find photographs for her memorial service. While doing so, I found a shoebox that was filled with pictures, letters, and drawings that we gave her when we were little. She had the programs saved from every piano recital, a collection of Little League pictures, and handmade birthday cards. And of course, the drawings we gave her when Lizzie died. She always made me feel so loved. Even though she’s gone, I know I’ll always feel that love.
Philip Arnold
left a message on June 11, 2013:
I will always remember Helen's kindness, her gentleness, and her sweetness. May those qualities live on in the hearts of her children, her grandchildren, and all of those who knew her. On behalf of my family I would like to express our sincere condolences for your family's profound loss.
Mary Moody
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Karen, Billy, and Gary: I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. She was one of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm so sorry I can't be there for her services but I'll be there in spirit.
Andrew Graybeal
left a message on June 10, 2013:
My girlfriend Stephanie asked me about my grandmother yesterday and what she was like. After I started recounting childhood stories it hit me that she was not only a grandmother, mother, daughter and friend she was superwoman!!! How in the world did she put up with 5 grand kids running in and out of her house all summer long and bugging her for this and begging her for that?! Not only did she play the grandmother role of unconditional love and fairness she was extremely tolerant! Never once did she get angry with us or turn us away! She just kept making gallon after gallon of that iced tea that I can still taste. Recently she has been in and out of the hospital and had suffered enough. As sad as I am that she is gone it gives me relief to know that she doesn't have to suffer anymore. She has traded in her superwoman cape for her angel wings where she is now in heaven making her delicious food and iced tea for the other angels. I love you Grandmom
Timmy Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Grandmom, I miss you so much already, i will always miss you and never ever forget you. You were like my second mother as a child growing up. I remember as a little boy that going over your house was the funnest thing ever with all the candy, rented movies and snacks and of course your famous iced tea. :) I LOVE YOU grandmom. You mean more to me then either of us ever realized I think. You taught me how to treat a lady, how to be polite, how to forgive and how to laugh and get over things easily... right alongside my own mother and your amazing daughter. I miss you and love you and will never forget so many great memories and laughs we had together. Love always and forever... your grandson. -Timmy <3
roger minor
left a message on June 10, 2013:
I rember I first meet Helen back in the early 1982 we just moved there from sc to the yellow house that same year I went to the park Helen made me fell welcome she was like a mother to me im going miss her
Amy Graybeal
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Helen, I will always be grateful for the gift of comfort and happiness that was YOU. It touched me as a child and touches me still. I feel the warmth and ease it gave me just to see your smile as freshly as if you were still here, right here with me. You are an amazing woman. Thank you so much for the example you set and the kindness you brought - into my world and the world of all around you. You will be missed. -Amy
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Mom, You taught me so many important things. The power of love. How to laugh when I was taking life too seriously. How to forgive, and go on (that was a hard one for both of us, I think). But most importantly, you taught me how to love unconditionally. My best wish for every single person on earth is to have a relationship with someone as incredible as you. Thank you for being my mom. Your loving daughter, forever, Karen
Jean Warfield Keenan
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Helen and I were close when growing up, being the same age. Frequent family gatherings were held of which I have many fond memories.
Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.
Her loving famiy
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Mom, “ If loving you could have saved you You never would have died You left me beautiful memories Your love is still my guide And though I cannot see you You are always by my side It broke my heart to lose you But you did not go alone Part of me went with you On the day God called you home Forgive me lord I’ll always weep For the Mother I loved but could not keep Love you forever Mom” Author Unknown
left a message:
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.
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ANDREW GRAYBEAL
left a message on July 6, 2018:
I'm not sure what made me visit this page today but I'm glad I did. I was daydreaming, thinking about you as I often do. So I decided to see if this obituary was still here. After finding it, I read all the comments posted by friends and family. A lot of beautiful and precious memories. You are gone but far from being forgotten. I love you Grandmom and miss you like crazy.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on August 24, 2015:
Remembering you on your birthday, Mom. I wish hadn't taken them all for granted.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2015:
It stuns me to think only two years have gone by without you. It seems like much, much longer. I know I will miss you and love you forever. I dream of you often. I think perhaps, the depth of my grief is a mirror of the depth of the love we shared. I love you, Mom.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 5, 2014:
It's been almost a year, and I miss you just as much. Maybe I always will, because that's how important you were to me, an everyday touch of love.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on April 6, 2014:
I witnessed my mother's grief when my brother Eric was killed. It was the worst pain imaginable. So, wild dogwood flowers became an important symbol to us.
Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on February 23, 2014:
Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on October 8, 2013:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjSix58CXQQ
Kelly Arnold
left a message on June 18, 2013:
My grandmother was always right next door as I grew up. She was kind, loved to laugh, and was such a good listener. She raised four kids and then she helped raise five grandkids. I think my brothers and cousins agree with me that Grandmom was like a third parent; a second mother to all of us. When four boys were chasing me around, I went to Grandmom's. If I needed a snack or a hug, I went to Grandmom's. Her door was always open from the minute we were born. When I was in elementary school, I heard another girl complain about having to visit her grandmother. I was genuinely confused. Why would anyone be upset about visiting their grandparents? Visiting my grandmother was always a treat! I have so many wonderful memories of Grandmom. There were trips to visit her sisters, trips to the library, and trips into Amish country. We always brought Dolly along and we always stopped for ice cream on the way home. There were afternoons spent looking at old pictures and stories about my mom and uncles from when they were children. I remember when she bought a CD player and we danced in the living room. I loved "helping" her cook and feed the birds. When we were little, my brother Danny wrote in crayon that she is "old enough to be my Grandmom, but young enough to be my friend." We all felt that way about her.
Bill Skaff
left a message on June 14, 2013:
Helen accepted and welcomed me with grace and good humor. I knew her to be intelligent and refined, yet strong and self-reliant. She possessed the fortitude to face the rigors of nature even as she had the sensitivity to love nature’s beauty, to the smallest hummingbird. Cultured and well-read, she nevertheless valued family most of all. It was readily apparent to me that Helen the mother was immensely proud of her daughter Karen the mother, as only a mother, who knows the mysteries of motherhood, could be. Also apparent was the joy that she took in the music that her children made, even as adults routinely asking if they were playing their instruments. Knowing that Karen was of the land, it was Helen who introduced me to North Country living through a series of stories, her parables to me. We will miss Helen and the her love that bound a family together, even as we celebrate those wonderful qualities of the Fitzgerald women that live on in her daughter and her granddaughter.
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 14, 2013:
Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you picked, the fragrance of life itself . She's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well. She's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow. She is Christmas morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. She's crystallized in every teardrop. She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love; your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space...not even death.
Kenny Cunningham
left a message on June 11, 2013:
If you knew Helen words could never do justice to describe her. I was 25 years old when I lost my own Mother back in Liverpool. I first met Helen in 1980 and knew her for the next thirty three years. You often hear cliches like " She hasn't got a bad bone in her body.." Helen lived up to every cliche you could manufacture. She was the nicest person I have ever met...I'm really going to miss her....Love you always Helen!
Kelly Arnold
left a message on June 11, 2013:
When I was 9 years old, Grandmom’s dog Lizzie died. My grandmother was always close to her dogs - it’s almost hard to imagine her without a poodle at her side. The morning Lizzie died, my cousins and brothers and I drew pictures and wrote letters to Grandmom. We didn’t want her to be sad anymore. Danny was too young to write, so Andy wrote “I love you” on a sheet of paper and Danny colored in the rest of the page. Last night, I looked through some of Grandmom’s albums to find photographs for her memorial service. While doing so, I found a shoebox that was filled with pictures, letters, and drawings that we gave her when we were little. She had the programs saved from every piano recital, a collection of Little League pictures, and handmade birthday cards. And of course, the drawings we gave her when Lizzie died. She always made me feel so loved. Even though she’s gone, I know I’ll always feel that love.
Philip Arnold
left a message on June 11, 2013:
I will always remember Helen's kindness, her gentleness, and her sweetness. May those qualities live on in the hearts of her children, her grandchildren, and all of those who knew her. On behalf of my family I would like to express our sincere condolences for your family's profound loss.
Mary Moody
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Karen, Billy, and Gary: I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. She was one of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm so sorry I can't be there for her services but I'll be there in spirit.
Andrew Graybeal
left a message on June 10, 2013:
My girlfriend Stephanie asked me about my grandmother yesterday and what she was like. After I started recounting childhood stories it hit me that she was not only a grandmother, mother, daughter and friend she was superwoman!!! How in the world did she put up with 5 grand kids running in and out of her house all summer long and bugging her for this and begging her for that?! Not only did she play the grandmother role of unconditional love and fairness she was extremely tolerant! Never once did she get angry with us or turn us away! She just kept making gallon after gallon of that iced tea that I can still taste. Recently she has been in and out of the hospital and had suffered enough. As sad as I am that she is gone it gives me relief to know that she doesn't have to suffer anymore. She has traded in her superwoman cape for her angel wings where she is now in heaven making her delicious food and iced tea for the other angels. I love you Grandmom
Timmy Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Grandmom, I miss you so much already, i will always miss you and never ever forget you. You were like my second mother as a child growing up. I remember as a little boy that going over your house was the funnest thing ever with all the candy, rented movies and snacks and of course your famous iced tea. :) I LOVE YOU grandmom. You mean more to me then either of us ever realized I think. You taught me how to treat a lady, how to be polite, how to forgive and how to laugh and get over things easily... right alongside my own mother and your amazing daughter. I miss you and love you and will never forget so many great memories and laughs we had together. Love always and forever... your grandson. -Timmy <3
roger minor
left a message on June 10, 2013:
I rember I first meet Helen back in the early 1982 we just moved there from sc to the yellow house that same year I went to the park Helen made me fell welcome she was like a mother to me im going miss her
Amy Graybeal
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Helen, I will always be grateful for the gift of comfort and happiness that was YOU. It touched me as a child and touches me still. I feel the warmth and ease it gave me just to see your smile as freshly as if you were still here, right here with me. You are an amazing woman. Thank you so much for the example you set and the kindness you brought - into my world and the world of all around you. You will be missed. -Amy
Karen Cunningham
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Mom, You taught me so many important things. The power of love. How to laugh when I was taking life too seriously. How to forgive, and go on (that was a hard one for both of us, I think). But most importantly, you taught me how to love unconditionally. My best wish for every single person on earth is to have a relationship with someone as incredible as you. Thank you for being my mom. Your loving daughter, forever, Karen
Jean Warfield Keenan
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Helen and I were close when growing up, being the same age. Frequent family gatherings were held of which I have many fond memories.
Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.
Her loving famiy
left a message on June 10, 2013:
Mom, “ If loving you could have saved you You never would have died You left me beautiful memories Your love is still my guide And though I cannot see you You are always by my side It broke my heart to lose you But you did not go alone Part of me went with you On the day God called you home Forgive me lord I’ll always weep For the Mother I loved but could not keep Love you forever Mom” Author Unknown
left a message:
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.
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