Helen Commons, active in St. Stephen's Church

Helen Commons, who was active in St. Stephen's Church for many years, died June 15 at her family home in Center Tuftonboro, N.H. She was 96 years old and the widow of Vivian Commons.
Mrs. Commons was born in New York City, daughter of Mary and Richard Timmermann and married Vivian K. Commons in 1929 after graduating from Columbia University, College of Pharmacy and receiving her Ph.D. in pharmacognosy from the University of London in 1927.
"It was unusual for a woman to attain such a high degree in a male-dominated field at that time," said her daughter Mary Haeger. She felt education was important to improve one's quality of life and sought throughout her life to espouse those values to the younger generations that followed."
She lived for many years in New York City where her husband had a family wholesale pharmaceutical business. After her husband's retirement they moved to their family home in Redding. She was an active member of the Ridgefield Child and Family Services and a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. She was an accomplished amateur artist working in both oils and watercolors, and many of her works are displayed in her home. The inspiration for her paintings came from both her travels to Europe and family events at their summer cottage on Peaks Island, Maine.
In Center Tuftonboro, she was active in community affairs including The Hikers Club, and was a volunteer tutor at the Tuftonboro Elementary School for several years.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and David Haeger of Center Tuftonboro, and three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Wolfeboro on June 23. Her ashes were buried alongside her husband at Fair Lawn Cemetery in Ridgefield, on July 8.
Donations in her memory may be made to All Saints Church, Wolfeboro, NH 03894 or to the Town of Tuftonboro Scholarship Fund, Town of Tuftonboro, Tuftonboro, NH 03816.