Helen Marquis McDanel Brubaker (1898-1958)

Helen Marquis McDanel Brubaker, about 1916.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen Marquis McDanel

Born: April 10, 1898
Father: Frederick McDanel (1868-1926)
Mother: Effie Frances Braden (1860-1939) 

Sibling: Marion Etta McDanel (1894-?)
Children: JoAnne (1931-1931), Joseph “Joe” DeVenny Brubaker, Jr. (b. 1933) and John Robert “Bob” Brubaker (b. 1935)
Spouse: Joseph DeVenny Brubaker (1897-1978)
Occupation: teacher (before she had children)
Died: Dec. 24, 1958

Helen, about 1899.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen was my paternal grandmother. I never met her, as she died about five years before I was born. She was born in New Brighton, Beaver County, Pa., to Fred and Effie McDanel, and lived there all her life. Fred owned a lumberyard and was a contractor. 

Helen about 1916.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen about 1916.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen in her high school basketball uniform, about 1916.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen, about 1916. This may have been a high school graduation photo.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen graduated from New Brighton High School in 1916, and from Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) in 1918. At this time, Indiana was a state teachers’ college. After she graduated, Helen was a school teacher.

Helen (right) with a friend.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen, about 1918.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen is at far right, and her future husband is second from left. Her sister Marion and her future husband, Shad, are in between them. This is Helen's handwriting; the photo is from her photo album.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen (probably coach) with the New Brighton High School girls’ basketball team, in 1921.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp. 

 

Helen (seated fourth from left, just to the left of the crook),
at a May Day celebration at Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, 1918.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

In 1921, at age 23, Helen married Joesph DeVenny Brubaker, her high school sweetheart. They had three children together. Joanne died at birth in 1931 (due to complications from either an Rh factor issue or pre-eclampsia; I’ve heard conflicting information). Two sons followed. 

Helen with Joe, probably at Lake Chataqua, NY, their favorite vacation spot.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen Marquis McDanel Brubaker, probably 1936, with Bob.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp. 

Helen is at far right, with Bob. The other women may be her mother and aunts.
Probably taken in 1936.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp. 

Helen and Joe with Joe, Jr. and Bob, about 1947.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen with sons Bob and Joe, about 1947.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen, about 1945.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Bob took this photo of Helen in 1947.Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen at Lake Chataqua, NY.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen, about 1958.
Photo in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Helen died at age 61, on Christmas Eve, 1958, of a heart attack. She was buried at Beaver Cemetery and Mausoleum, Section V, Lot Number 104, tier Number 2. She was interred in the same grave as her baby daughter, JoAnne. 

Photo from www.findagrave.comFind A Grave Memorial# 83292951

I only have a few things that my grandmother owned. The sewing basket belonging to Helen was given to me by my cousin Carole:

And the opal ring and opal chip pendant were given to me by Joseph D. Brubaker, Sr.’s second wife, Gertrude “Gaby” Wagoner Brubaker in the 1970s:

Sadly, most of Helen’s belongings – jewelry, silver, and other family heirlooms — became her property, and were lost to our family.