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Helena Anne Carpenter of Branford died July 8 at Apple Rehab in Guilford. She was the wife of the late LeRoy Carpenter. Helena was born in New Jersey Feb. 23, 1934, daughter of the late Morgan and Gladys Whitcomb Thompson.

She worked as a medical secretary for the Yale University Department of Orthopedics for many years until retiring in 1999. Helena was a longtime member of the United Methodist Church in Branford, where she knitted prayer shawls and worked at the Learn and Play Daycare. She also was a member of the Branford Senior Citizens Center.

She is survived by her daughters Donna Carpenter (fiancée Tammy Bronson) of Branford and Kimberly Carpenter Joyce (Paul Angelini) of Northford; her grandchildren Cassandra Talmadge-Joyce and Benjamin Joyce; her brother Ernest Thompson of Madison; and her sister Jane Bernardo of Guilford. She was predeceased by her former husband Allen Smith; her brothers William and Charles Thompson; and her sister Florence Thompson.

Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial service July 12 at 11:00 a.m. at United Methodist Church of Branford, 811 E. Main St., Branford, and may call at the church prior to the service from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Burial will be private. For directions and an online memorial, see www.wsclancy.com.