Eleanor "Helen" (Torre) Migliore

Eleanor ‘Helen’ Torre Migliore, age 94, passed away on May 19, 2020.  Born on November 4, 1925, in New Haven, a daughter to the late Charles and Rachel Torre, she was the beloved wife of the late C. Frank Migliore.  Helen is survived by her children, Eleanor Migliore, Frank Migliore, and Joseph Migliore and his wife, Judy, and grandchildren Danika Migliore and her husband Joseph Dussling, and ‘adopted  son’, Ryuichi Bell. 

Helen had a sharp mind and a creative flair and loved to make people happy with her generosity and love.  She loved to cook and bake and make chocolate and confections, especially on holidays for her family and friends.  She gave many of these treasures and goodies to family, friends, and especially children.  She excelled at Italian cooking and baking for the holidays in particular. She also learned to do many crafts including leather dye and tooling, ceramics, bead work and jewelry.

Helen learned to be self-sufficient from a young age.  Unable to attend high school after 8th grade, she instead went straight on to work full time doing piece work for the Sergeant Shirt Company.  Eventually she moved on from there to other jobs, the most notable at the Yale Co-op Bookstore where she helped to organize her co-workers into a union. She retired from the Co-op after more than thirty years.  After her own children completed their educations, Helen went on to earn her GED (high school equivalency diploma) and attended community college. 

Helen loved to give gifts, especially to the children of those around her, and was kind generous to friends and strangers alike.  She would often go out of her way to commend or compliment others she encountered, especially employees to their supervisors. Helen had a good inquisitive mind.  She loved exploring new books and old classic literature as well as keeping up to the minute in current events and politics. She could speak knowledgeably on almost any current event topic.

She was very active and remained independent right into her 90’s, joining a senior citizen’s group gym class, doing her own errands about town, and continuing to cook and bake with a little help from her children.  Helen was a very proud and loving mother and grandmother.  Her family was her joy and she added to it her granddaughter’s husband, Joseph Dussling and her daughter’s friend, Ryuichi Bell, both of whom she regarded as grandson and son, respectively. 

Helen’s biggest goal was to dance at her granddaughter Danika’s wedding.  And she did just that at 90 years old.  It was one of her happiest moments in life and she was very proud to be there for her granddaughter.  Helen lived a full and often challenging life, meeting each circumstance and milestone with courage and sound judgement and always with a loving and compassionate hand guiding her children.

Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and for the safety and well-being of her family, there will be a private service for immediate family only at this time. A memorial service for Helen will be planned by her children for a later date. West Haven Funeral Home at the Green is entrusted with arrangements.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Helen’s name may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, www.stjude.org. 

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