Helen Dunning Poremba

Helen Dunning Poremba, (99) died peacefully on September 25, 2019 at Brookdale Cleveland Park in Greenville. Her son, Dick, his wife Laurie and her favorite pups, Lulu and Little Bear were at her side. Helen was born on June 9, 1920 in Charleston, South Carolina. Helen was the beloved wife of the late Dick Poremba who died in 1998 in Springfield, Massachusetts not far from where they lived in Ludlow. Helen was the daughter of John Miles Dunning and Katherine Ann Churchill of Charleston, SC. She grew up in Charleston at 698 King Street next door to her lifelong friend, the late Betty Nelson Blomberg. Helen attended Memminger High School in Charleston, and she graduated from Andrew B. Murray vocational school in Charleston in 1938. Upon graduation, she worked in the office at Cameron & Barkley in Charleston until she married her husband in 1943. She met Dick at a USO dance, while he was in the U.S. Army stationed in Charleston. They were married at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston on June 22, 1943 just before Dick was transferred overseas during World War II. The newlyweds honeymooned in New York City at the Roosevelt Hotel where Helen encountered her first escalator. Shortly thereafter, Helen changed jobs and went to work at the Charleston Naval Shipyard as the secretary to the financial officer. After Dick returned from overseas, they moved to Massachusetts where her husband’s family lived. There, Helen worked a number of part time jobs. Her longest term of employment was at Alamac Mills, where she worked over 5 years in the office and as a switch board operator. Helen lived in Ludlow, Massachusetts for the majority of her adult life close to her daughter, Barbara and her grand and great grandchildren who all lived in the Boston area. In 2005, after selling the house in Ludlow, she moved to Myrtle Beach to escape the snow and ice and be closer to her daughter, Elizabeth and son-in-law Robert Simeone. She lived at the Covenant Towers, an independent living retirement condominium, adjacent to the oldest golf club in Myrtle Beach, Pines Lake Country Club. In December 2017, she moved to Brookdale Cleveland Park, an assisted living facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to be closer to her son, Dick and daughter-in-law, Laurie Poremba. Dick and Laurie had moved to Greenville from Corpus Christi, Texas in 2014.
Helen was a devoted Christian and Catholic all of her life. She watched Mass on the Catholic TV channel daily and said at least one rosary every day. At their 50th anniversary in 1993, Helen and Dick renewed their wedding vows during Mass at Christ the King Church in Ludlow, Massachusetts. One of her fondest memories was their 50th Anniversary Party at Ludlow Country Club, where her husband had been a club member for many years. Many family members and friends attended the party from near and far. The event was captured on a video taken by her daughter, Barbara. Over the years, Helen watched the video regularly including several weeks before her passing. Helen had a passion for playing cards with her three nieces, Ann, Marie and Beverly. They played for many years in both Myrtle Beach and Greenville. She also looked forward to regular visits from her niece, Linda and her husband, Charles. Helen also loved parties and was ready to party no matter what the occasion!
Helen was predeceased by her two sisters, Mable Wilcher and Loretta Seel and her five brothers, Miles, Walter, Burnett, Evans and Leroy Dunning. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt. Helen is survived by her three children, Elizabeth Poremba Simeone and her husband, Robert Simeone of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Barbara Poremba and Leland Hussey of Salem, Massachusetts and Dick Poremba and his wife, Laurie Smith Poremba of Greenville, South Carolina. Helen is survived by her grandchildren, Jennifer Logiudice and her husband Paul Logiudice of Swampscott, Massachusetts and great grandchildren Mia, William and Anna Logiudice; Jessie Rousseau and Jodi Perkins and great grandchildren Jordan and Tina Rousseau of Seabrook, New Hampshire; and Jolene Rousseau McAvoy and her husband Ryan McAvoy of Tewksbury, Massachusetts and great grandchild, Charlotte McAvoy.

A Memorial Funeral Mass will be held at 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenville. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to St. Mary's Catholic Church, 111 Hampton Ave., Greenville, SC 29601 in memory of Helen Poremba. For on-line expressions of sympathy, go to Cremation Society of South Carolina - Westville Funerals, www.cremationsocietyofsc.com .