Helena Marie (Harvey) Hackney, 96, passed away July 13, 2023 with her daughter and son by her side. She was born May 1, 1927 in Portsmouth NH. to Helen C. (Hanson) and Thomas L. Harvey.

Helena grew up in Portsmouth with her sisters and twin brother on Woodbury Avenue. She often talked about ice skating on a pond on family land which is now the Portsmouth Rotary Circle. She graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1945. For several years she worked as a telephone operator with her sister Theresa.

She met the love of her life, John C. Hackney, and enjoyed 67  years of marriage before his passing in 2016. John and Helena raised their family on Tenney Hill in Kittery Point.

When her children were younger, Helena spent part of each summer at their small trailer on Webb Lake in Weld, Maine. Most of the years there was no running water or electricity to the trailer.

Helena also worked with her mother-in-law in the greenhouses at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle, NH.

She enjoyed reading and collecting anything with a strawberry on it.

Helena was a great cook and did plenty of cooking and baking when her children were growing up. She loved buying or receiving cookbooks as gifts and would read them cover to cover.

For many years John and Helena would sit outside on a bench under a big tree to watch the boats come and go in Pepperrell Cove. After John's death, Helena continued watching the boats from inside the house.

Helena is survived by her son Thomas Hackney of Kittery Point and daughter Nancy and son-in-law Alan Estes of Kittery. She is also survived by her 7 grandchildren Christina (Jerry) Prestridge of Eldersburg, MD, Melissa (Adel) Mohammed of Derry, NH, Jennifer Estes of Saint Louis, MO, Alicia (Paul) Marquis of Kittery ME, David Estes of Kaneohe, HI, Jeffrey Estes of Barrington, NH, and Jessica (Seth) Legere of York, ME and her 16 great grandchildren Hannah, Cameron (Alaina), Faith (Breandan), Lila, Abigail, Hunter, Erin, Summer, Quinn, Ava, Elijah, Sophia, Cale, Reagan, Paisley and Arlo. Also her nieces Kathy Pridham and Beth Craig and nephews Greg Hackney and John Wilkinson, jr.

Helena was predeceased by her parents, her husband John, twin brother Thomas (Margorie), and sisters Theresa (Alfred) Poulin and Audrey(Jack) Wilkinson.

A private celebration of Life was held at her home with her son, daughter, son -in-law and all her grandchildren and their spouses and great grandchildren in attendance.