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10/15/2012 10:00 AMHelen W. Peterkin, 91, of Evergreen Woods, North Branford, died peacefully on Oct. 9. She was the wife of 55 years to A. Gordon Peterkin. Mrs. Peterkin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921, daughter of the late Maurice A. and Dorothy S. Webster. She graduated from Germantown Friends School, and earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Wellesley College and a master’s degree from Columbia School of Journalism. At Wellesley, she was selected to be a Village Junior, a member of Tau Zeta Epsilon Society, and an aid to Madame Chiang Kai-Shek during her l943 visit.
She and Gordon lived in Madison for 18 years before moving to Evergreen Woods in 1998. Mrs. Peterkin was an avid athlete, enjoying field hockey, lacrosse, figure skating, sailing, skiing, hiking, tennis, and golf. While living in Westport, she founded the Mid-Fairfield County Skating Club. A dedicated lifetime golfer, as a teenager she started winning tournaments at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, continuing on to win the Madison Country Club Super Senior Women’s Golf Championship and only stopped playing in her late 80s due to declining eyesight.
She and her husband were energized by global travel, often on educational study programs or for extended stays in Provence and the Cotswold’s. On a Thailand trip, they were in a near fatal armed ambush by bandits on the Kok River, part of the Golden Triangle. “Time” magazine published her Letter to the Editor about this experience.
Throughout her life, Mrs. Peterkin was active in the Junior League and the Wellesley Club. In her 60s, she became a stone sculptor and won several prizes in juried shows. She served on the Connecticut board of the National Society of Colonial Dames and was also a member of the North End Club, the Madison Beach Club, the Welcome Society of Pennsylvania, and the New Haven Friends Meeting. She was a former member of the Madison Art Society, the Madison Garden Club and the Madison Winter Club.
She is survived by her three children, Eleanor F. Peterkin of New York, Scott B. Peterkin and his wife Barbara of Atlanta, Georgia, and Mark W. Peterkin of West Haven, as well as her granddaughter, Rachel G. Peterkin of Atlanta, Georgia.
A memorial service will take place at Evergreen Woods, 88 Notch Hill Rd., North Branford, at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 15. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Wellesley College, 106 College Street, Wellesley, MA 02481.