Helen Ryan Hayward, 95, of Cresskill, formerly of Inwood on the Hudson, N.Y., passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Dec. 8, 2018. Helen was a 1943 graduate of St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in New York City. She went on to become a Pediatric Nurse Associate, tending to the needs of inner-city school children. Helen was a faith-filled woman who always had a long list of prayer requests and a rosary in hand. She was a devoted parishioner of Good Shepherd Church for over 80 years before moving to Sunrise in Cresskill, in 2012. A true matriarch in the best sense, Helen was a loving sister to Ann Ryan and a beloved mother to Maureen and her husband Gregory, Al and his wife Patricia, Michael and his wife Sue, Joseph and his wife Becky, Ann and her husband Tom, and her daughter-in-law Nancy. She will be greatly missed by her 14 adoring grandchildren Keith, Chris, Daniel, Heather, Ryan, Michael, Kristi, Jenny, Mimi, Joseph, Kevin, Thomas, Meghan, Michael, and her six great-grandchildren TJ, Penelope, Logan, Luke, Avery and Theadora, whom she inspired by her example every day. Helen was predeceased by her husband Alfred and her daughter Kathleen Mary. Helen will be remembered for her delight in the company of her family and friends; her ability to make the best of every situation – or at least make a good joke about it; and her lifetime winning Farkle record. Friends are invited to celebrate her life with a Mass at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, at St. Paul R.C. Church, Ramsey.
