Helen (Sczawinski) Hintz

SALISBURY — Helen (Sczawinski) Hintz passed peacefully at Noble Horizons on June 9, 2020, just days after celebrating her 89th birthday. Her last hours were an outpouring of love and support from the many friends and caregivers she had made at Noble, her home for the last seven years. 

They all added such value to her life, as she did to theirs with her open-door policy, her willingness to listen and to share her hugs and kisses, both the person-to-person ones and, as of late, the Hershey ones. 

It was said in many different ways that Helen “makes it rewarding for us to come in to work each day.” 

Helen lived most of her life in Bristol and in Terryville, Conn., where she was born on June 4, 1931, to Helen (Parciak) and Walter Sczawinski. She lived with her loving brothers, Raymond and Wadtz, all of whom predeceased her. 

Helen was married for 35 years to Frederick Hintz of Bristol, and to Peter Driscoll, of Greenwich, Conn., in the earlier years. 

A lifetime of caring for others was a staple in her life as she went on to be an elementary school teacher for more than 40 years. She especially enjoyed teaching children to read and was a prolific reader throughout her life. Helen attended Central Connecticut Teachers College and received her master’s degree there at the age of 52. She always enjoyed learning, as well as teaching, and had a sharp inquiring mind, up until her last days. 

Helen was a very humble person, and one who always felt deeply for the underdogs, the oppressed people of the world, children and minorities. She felt strongly about fair play, equal rights and justice for all. She wanted to save every stray dog and cat, and she did for many. One special cat, Annie, who wandered the halls of the nursing home, sensed that and adopted Helen as her own. 

Helen developed a very special friendship with Claire Carney, of Wethersfield, Conn. They shared many a theater date in Hartford, and attended many Glenn Miller Orchestra concerts. 

She will be dearly missed by her daughter, Noreen Driscoll, her granddaughter, Shana Sullivan and great-grandson, Zachary Sullivan, all now of North Canaan, for her wit, her warm hugs and her relentless search for eagles in the sky! Her son, Peter Driscoll, and grandson, Dylan, from Lake Worth, Fla., also mourn her passing. Her grandson, Ben Breslauer, from Crested Butte, Colo ., will see his loving grandmother in the flight of the eagles in the mountains. 

There will be a private graveside service and a Celebration of Life on Sunday, July 12, at 1 p.m. at her daughter’s home at 40 High St., North Canaan. 

Memorial donations in her name can be made to the Jane Lloyd Fund, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main St., Sheffield, MA 01257; or to the Noble Horizons Employee Fund, 17 Cobble Road, Salisbury, CT 06068.  

The Funk Funeral Home in Bristol is honored to serve the family. Go to Helen’s memorial website page at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.