Helena L. (Wilcox) DeMoranville, 91, of New Bedford passed December 3, 2017 peacefully at St. Luke's Hospital.
She was the wife of the late Earl P. DeMoranville.
Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late David and Elizabeth (Mayes) Wilcox, she lived in New Bedford all of her life.
She was known to her many friends as Lee, which was the nickname she chose. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family.
She worked at Goodyear during World War II, to help America in the war effort. Later, she worked at a handbag manufacturing company. She retired early to enjoy more time with family.
Lee was a proud member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 459, and the La Societé de Femme, Local 577.
She enjoyed camping and sitting around a campfire. She loved traveling and seeing different places. She has traveled to Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and stopped in many other states in between. She has also been to several of the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, South America and France.
Lee enjoyed telling jokes and riddles to four generations of her family. She enjoyed crossword puzzles and read many books. She was an avid Bingo player and even played "Cross-Cut" at Lincoln Park. She roller skated with some of her grandchildren well into her sixties. Although she never drove a car, she rode her bicycle everywhere until her late seventies.
Lee taught line dancing until her late seventies and then she began to travel even more into her nineties.
Survivors include her daughter, Amy DeMoranville of North Fort Myers, FL; a son, William Lessa and his wife Diane of Moore Haven, FL; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
She was the mother of the late Roger Lessa, Ronald DeMoranville, Bruce DeMoranville and Edward DeMoranville.
Her Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.