Woodbury-Carolyn "Lyn" Elin Hellwinkle, 82 passed away peacefully, at St. Mary's Hospital, care of Vitas Hospice, on Monday, March 14th, 2022 with her son Don by her side. Lyn was born April 17th, 1939, in Medford, Oregon, to the late Margaret Genevieve (Oxford) and Clare Eli Van Winkle. When she was young she moved to California with her mother and attended school in Culver City, CA. Lyn spent many of her childhood summers in the Oregon countryside, visiting with her Aunt Lee Ella, Uncle Carl and cousins, Stephen and Karen. Their days were spent camping, fishing, picking wild berries and canning them into jellies and jams. During her school years at Culver City, High School she met a handsome sailor who was stationed at the Naval base in Long Beach, CA. Not long after meeting, it quickly became apparent that this sailor, Ronald "Ron" Fredrick Hellwinkle, was her soulmate and would become the love of her life. When his time at the naval base ended, Ron returned home to Woodbury, CT and Lyn stayed in Culver City to finish school. They stayed in touch through many, many romantic love letters and phone calls. One story her family will always fondly remember is when Ron called Lyn and proposed to her over the phone - and Lyn always laughing about how Ron went to the post office and mailed Lyn her engagement ring. After graduation Lyn made the big move from California to Woodbury, CT where she and Ron were married, began a family, and shared a love story that lasted more than 60 years. Lyn has missed her Ronnie terribly since he passed away in 2016, and knowing that she and Ron are now reunited, brings us all comfort. Always the hard worker, she provided childcare for others in her home, sold curtains and slip-covers, and worked in the cafeteria at Mitchell Elementary school to help provide for her family and make ends meet, all while caring for her two young sons. She later became a Matron for the school maintenance department at Nonnewaug High School. Once her children were grown, she went to work for Waterbury Hospital in the Housekeeping Department where she was promoted to Housekeeping Supervisor and made many friends during her 19-year tenure. She was later hired at The Village at East Farms, as Supervisor of Housekeeping until she retired in 2006. One day in the mid '90s a letter showed up addressed to Lyn from Social Security saying that an unknown relative was trying make contact and provided their information. Well it turns out it was a sister that Lyn never knew she had! Lyn's Dad wasn't around much during her childhood and she last saw him when she was seven. Turns out old Clare Van Winkle was busy over in England during his tour of Naval duty and had fathered a daughter in the UK. Diane and her husband Neville ended up coming to the US several times and Lyn and Ron visited Europe with them as well. Lyn was always thinking of others and a natural at community service. She became a Cub Scout Den Mother in Woodbury Pack 480 for both of her sons. She served as an EMT for the Woodbury Ambulance Association from 1979-1993, where she held the offices of Secretary, Vice President and eventually President from 1985-1987. More recently she led and volunteered for Friends in Service Here, a non-profit organization known as "FISH" that provided transportation for those needing rides to doctor appointments. She never stopped volunteering even during the pandemic. An avid sewer and knitter, she taught her daughter-in- law Monique how to sew cloth masks for Connecticut nursing homes during shortages and together they made over 300 masks for nursing home staff members. She also became known for her amazing 'scrubbies'- washable and re- useable scouring pads for pots and pans which she made for nursing home staff members to show appreciation for all their hard work during the pandemic. If you were to ask Lyn what her greatest accomplishment was, she would have told you it was raising her two sons, Don and Mike Hellwinkle. There was nothing she loved more than spending quality time with family and friends. She always enjoyed the great outdoors and cherished family camping and fishing trips. Her husband Ron and sons were also avid hunters, and she enjoyed making delicious meals for everyone with the fish and wild game they brought home. Lyn was fond of listening to the stories of their hunting adventures around the dinner table, and eventually she declared "if you can't beat them, join them." Which is exactly what she did! She got her first hunting license in 1979 and started bringing home the game and telling stories herself. She also developed a love for bowling and was a member of the Cheshire Senior Bowling League up to her passing. Left to honor her legacy are her sons, Donald (Monique) Hellwinkle and Michael Hellwinkle of Woodbury, CT; grandchildren Michael Hellwinkle Jr., Matthew Hellwinkle, their mother Susan Pappas, grandson Zack Hellwinkle, her sister Diane Reeves of England and many close friends who will miss her dearly. A celebration of life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 294 Main ST South, Woodbury, CT at 10am on Saturday, April 9 th . To honor Lyn's memory, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Woodbury Ambulance Association, 25 Quassuk Rd., Woodbury, CT 06798.

To leave an online condolence please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.

Woodbury Ambulance Association
P.O. Box 581, Woodbury CT 06798
Tel: 1-203-263-5252
Web: http://woodburyambulance.com/