Helen Isabella Black Hawthorne

Following Communion served by Pastor Jean Lee, a dear family friend, Helen Hawthorne passed away surrounded by the love of her family and the promise of eternity at 3:55PM on December 17, 2020.

Helen was born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania the second of 4 children.  Her growing up years were spent in West Virginia, New Jersey and then her family ultimately settled in Beltsville, Maryland on a piece of land adjoining her Grandmother Roby’s home place. 

Following her graduation from High School in Beltsville, she began her long career in the federal government working for the Department of Agriculture.  From there she moved on to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) shortly after its inception.  There she held several positions retiring in 1980 as Chief of Education and Training in the Office of Classification, US Department of Energy. 

She was married to master carpenter and boat builder Harvey Hawthorne (aka Pappy) from 1947 until his death in 2004 and together they had 5 children.  They built their first house in Norbeck, MD and moved to a farm in Mt. Airy Maryland in 1955. Over the years they built/remodeled four other houses while the family continued to live in the Mt. Airy area.

Helen’s interests were wide and varied.  She loved gardening, sailing with Pappy (including a 3-week transatlantic voyage) and all things outdoors.  She also helped her husband build boats and furniture throughout their years together.  Of particular note, she was an accomplished artist and became an authorized copyist at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  As a result, all of her children and many of her friends have Renoirs, Monets, Tarbells and many other famous paintings adorning their homes.  She also became a consummate still life artist and china painter. 

More than anything Helen Hawthorne was a sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She is survived by two siblings Jean Zeltman and Artie Black; Five children, Tim Hawthorne, Tom Hawthorne, Meg Clemmer, Dan Hawthorne and Amy Hamilton; seven grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 11am at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 21720 Laytonsville Rd., Laytonsville, MD 20882. A luncheon will follow at the home of the Clemmer's. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Helen Isabella Black Hawthorne, please visit our floral store.