Obituary of Helen B. Tumulty
Helen Barnwell Tumulty, 86, of Kendall Park, passed away peacefully at home with family by her side on Thursday, December 6, 2018.
Helen was born to Anna and John Barnwell on August 15, 1932 in New Brunswick, NJ. Helen grew up in Highland Park and attended St. Peter’s High School. She married Frank Tumulty in 1955, and raised three children.
In 1963, Frank and Helen took a tremendous leap of faith and opened University Pub on George Street in New Brunswick. Despite knowing nothing about the restaurant business, Helen bravely dove into management, and The Pub, later known as Tumulty’s, went on to become hugely popular with Rutgers University students, local families, and New Brunswick working folks.
After 22 years, Helen retired from The Pub, and later volunteered for many years as a second grade teaching assistant and CCD teacher at St. Augustine of Canterbury in Kendall Park, where she had a lasting effect on a generation of children.
Helen had a lifelong love of the Jersey Shore and cherished having family and friends visit her home in Lavallette. She loved spending time on the beach with her grandchildren, shopping, and making her favorite recipe: Reservations!
Through the years, Helen became known as Granny, first by her own grandchildren, their friends, and then by all the children whose lives she touched. Gradually, all of her relatives, friends and neighbors at home and at the Shore came to know her as Granny.
Helen is survived by her husband Frank, her daughters Mary Beth (Bob) Brandes of Kendall Park, Carol (Steve) Dzuro of Milltown, her son Peter (Barbara) Tumulty of Milltown, her nine grandchildren: Katie, Jenny, Peter, Brian, Caitlyn, Emily, Michael, Patrick, and Lizzy, and three great-grandchildren: Connor, Noah, and Elizabeth. She will be missed by her brother Edwin Barnwell of Oceanport and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her granddaughter Jacqueline, her parents, brothers Jack and Tom, and sisters Sally, Mary, and Ann.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Sunday, December 9, from 3pm to 6pm at Boylan Funeral Home, 188 Easton Avenue, New Brunswick. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, December 10, at 10am at St Peter the Apostle Church, 94 Somerset Street, New Brunswick.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
