Harriet Heller

Harriet Stone Heller passed away at the age of 81 at the home of her sister, Mary Heller Smith, on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, in Elmira. She was born in Elmira on October 8, 1936, the middle child of Mary Annetta Trimble and Richard Stone Heller. Harriet graduated from Northampton School for Girls in 1954, and completed her education with a BA from Elmira College in 1958. She was a longtime member of Park Church, the Junior League of Elmira, and a current Board Member and Secretary of the Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery, and Elmira College Club. Always loving sports, she worked many hours for youth tennis in Elmira. Her professional life included Director of Alumni Affairs at Elmira College, Assistant Director of Annual Giving at SUNY Brockport and Event Coordinator for E Entertainment in Hartford CT. She is survived by her son James Richard Sophia and daughter-in-law Melanie Moran Sophia of Shaker Heights, OH and her daughter Elizabeth Stone Sophia of Marietta, GA, and predeceased by her infant son, David Heller Sophia. She leaves her grandchildren, James Trimble Sophia, Julia Stone Sophia, Michael Louis McClellan III and Sophie Caroline McClellan; her sisters and brother-in-law, Mary Annetta Trimble Heller Smith of Elmira and Janet Whyte Heller Howell and Fred Ellwyn Howell of Amesbury, MA; nephews and nieces, Richard Heller Smith and Amanda Dow Smith of New Sharon, ME and their children Peter Young Smith and Lydia Louise Smith; Charles Humphrey Smith and Nancy Pon of Shanghai, China, Elizabeth Lowman Howell of Portland, OR, Chester Everts Howell and his children Oliver Chou Howell and Sophie Stone Howell of Newburyport, MA, Mary Trimble Howell and Jeffery David Shapiro of Hanover, NH and their children, Matthew Heller Shapiro, Samuel Howell Shapiro and Lucas Sanders Shapiro. Those of us who loved Hatsy knew she had her first cancer operation when she was 19 years old and had 63 years, most of her lifetime, living under the menacing shadow of this illness. Despite this, Hatsy always liked to have fun, to be out and about wherever she was. Always an excellent correspondent, she kept in touch with close friends and family from all segments of her communities throughout her entire life. She was curious, energetic, generous, sensitive to the needs of others, always did her part and was a good and thoughtful friend to many. These stellar qualities held her in good stead at the end of her life as many came to help her, to care for her, to love her through the end days. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, September 28, 2018 at Woodlawn Cemetery. For those attending the graveside service, please gather at the Walnut Street entrance of the cemetery at 12:50 p.m. to process to the gravesite. Following the graveside service all are invited to attend a Celebration of Hatsy's Life at Beecher Hall, Park Church. In Lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to The Park Church, 208 West Gray Street, Elmira NY 14905, Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery of Elmira, Inc., P.O. Box 1303, Elmira NY 14902-1303, CareFirst Hospice, 3805 Meads Creek Road, Painted Post, NY 14870-9509 or Elmira College, Office of Advancement, One Park Place, Elmira NY 14901.