When a woman found out her grandmother had missed a list of fun childhood activities, like sitting on Santa’s lap and attending the ball, she decided to do something about it. On the one hand, she surprised her grandmother with a crown and a special invitation.
Helen Danis of West Warwick, Rhode Island, had had countless experiences since the 1920s, but prom was not one of them. Despite the yearning, she had to forgo the magic night of 1939 because it was the end of the Great Depression and her family didn’t have the money to buy her a dress, new shoes, or makeup.
Helen was an only child whose mother died five days after giving birth. Until the age of six, Helen stayed with her grandmother, but when her father remarried, she was raised by her stepmother.
Money was tight for Helen’s family, especially after her father lost his job at the factory, and her stepmother’s salary at a department store was all they had. Afterwards, she missed her high school dance and stayed home.
With nothing but admiration and love for her lovely grandmother, she had a brilliant idea.
But that’s not all she experienced as a child. Helen said she started to feel like a fish out of water and decided to drop out of school after realizing she couldn’t keep up with the other school children.
A year later, in 1940, she married a carpenter named Lionel Vallière. The couple built a great life together and had three children, two daughters and a son.
Sadly, Vallière died of brain cancer in 1956, and after her death Helen had to find a job in the sewing section of a department store to support her children as a single mother.
The West Warwick resident said she remarried three times and outlived two of her life partners. She later got married to a former businessman, Eugene Danis, and in 2019 the couple celebrated 27 years of married bliss. Despite their active lifestyle, Helen noted that her husband didn’t like dancing, which she loved wholeheartedly.
Although Helen encountered countless challenges, nothing could dull her joyful spirit. Over the years, her children grew up and embarked on new adventures, and as her family grew, Helen took on new roles and became a grandmother and great-grandmother.
One day in 2019, she sat down with her granddaughter, Julie Huddon, who had always wanted to know more about her grandmother’s life. Julie said her grandmother had led a cumbersome life with many uncomfortable memories.
In December 2018, Julie noticed that Helen’s face lit up when she sat on Santa’s lap for the first time. Shortly after, Julie recalled a relative advising her to create a to-do list for her grandmother, an idea she liked because she knew all that Helen had been through all along. of his life.
Julie, who was incredibly close to Helen, wanted to do something to help add some fun to her grandmother’s final years. “Helen was telling me about prom, how she couldn’t go because she couldn’t afford it,” Julie said.
She had a brilliant idea.
Julie went to Pilgrim High School, where her 19-year-old son, Evan Huddon, was a senior, and spoke to the principal, Gerald Habershaw. Luckily, she convinced Habershaw to allow her and Helen to attend the ball alongside young Evan. Then she got to work, putting the plan into action.
Soon after, she surprised her grandmother with a gorgeous crown and a sweet heart-shaped pink note, inviting her to the enchanting evening. When Helen saw her granddaughter’s touching ‘promo’, she was amazed and immediately agreed, and Julie bought a stunning lilac dress for her grandmother.
On May 24, 2019, Julie, 48, and her prom date, Helen, 97, arrived at Pilgrim High School on a trolley. Helen donned the beautiful dress and ditched the heels for a comfy pair of shoes so she had no trouble showing off her favorite moves.
Wearing matching bodices, the ladies were escorted onto the dance floor, where Helen danced to Hully Gully (a 60s line dance), the Cha-Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. Evan, who suffered from spina bifida, enjoyed his high school prom while dancing from his electric wheelchair.
Later that evening, Helen danced with Habershaw and was crowned honorary queen
