Dr. Helen R. Fiber

Dr. Helen R. Fiber passed away peacefully, surrounded by love and family, on September 5, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, NY, at the age of 90. Originally from Scranton, PA, Helen had lived in upstate New York since 1986 and in Saratoga Springs since 2014.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Larry Roy Fiber, who passed away in February 2011. She is survived by her three sons, Larry Lee Fiber of Saratoga Springs, NY; Lonny (Haley) Fiber of Dallas, TX; and Danny (Tara) Fiber of New Port Richey, FL, as well as ten grandchildren: Owen, Riley, Zoey, Kyra, Zeke, Royce, Eli, Pierce, Finn, and Mia.

In 2010, a few months before his death, Larry R. Fiber wrote his own obituary. Typing it—with an actual typewriter—on a single sheet of paper, Larry put it in an envelope with “Larry’s Obituary” typed on the front. He gave it to Helen and asked her to proofread it.

With immediate tears in her eyes at the words on the envelope, she opened it.

The obituary had just two words, centered on the page:

Larry died.

Helen burst into laughter, her tears suddenly turning to joy. This was Larry’s sense of humor, as anyone who knew him can attest. Helen loved him for it.

So, as this obituary may stretch considerably longer than two words (sorry, Dad!), please forgive us.

Born January 7, 1936, in Scranton, PA, Helen was the youngest of nine children of Thomas Healey and Winifred (O’Boyle) Healey. Her father was a coal miner who supported a dozen or more family members. Her mother ran the household, making “broomstick” skirts for Helen and baking ten loaves of bread at a time to feed the family.

During her school years, Helen walked to St. Ann’s Catholic School, carrying mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch and wearing socks on her hands in winter, as neither lunchmeat nor mittens were consistently available in the family. St. Ann’s Catholic School, as Helen told it, was uphill from her house on North Main Street—“both ways.”

After graduating from high school, Helen took a job with Bell Telephone, handling address changes and working with the Yellow Pages. On Fridays, payday, her mother would be waiting outside the office to collect Helen’s paycheck, as was the family’s custom.

Can you imagine?

Less than a year later, Helen attended a square dance with her lifelong best friend, Angie. Friends for more than 70 years, Helen and Angie joked about how, back in the day, the short guys always seemed to ask Helen to dance, even though Angie was actually the shorter girl.

When they spotted two young Navy sailors in their dress whites walking toward them, Helen leaned over to Angie and said, “Want to bet the short one asks me to dance?”

But on that night, the shorter sailor asked Angie to dance, leaving Helen to meet Larry R. Fiber for the first time.

Helen and Larry began dating under the strict rules of the Healey household. On movie date nights, Larry would park his car at Helen’s house, and they would walk a mile to the theater because Helen wasn’t allowed to ride in his car. Despite the strict guidelines, Helen and Larry’s relationship blossomed, and they married in May 1954, when Helen was just 18 years old.

When Larry passed away in 2011, they had shared more than 56 years of happy marriage.

Shortly after the wedding, Helen and Larry relocated to New Brunswick, NJ, where Helen enrolled at Douglass College and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education. She would go on to earn three more degrees: a master’s degree from Rutgers University, a second master’s from Shippensburg State College, and a PhD from Penn State. Together, Helen and Larry—both Dr. Fiber in their own right—had eight college degrees.

After several years in New Jersey, Helen and Larry moved to Shippensburg, PA, where Larry became a professor at the State College and Helen taught seventh-grade math at the Junior High School. Helen had the pleasure (some editorial license here) of having all three of her sons in her math class.

And no, she did not give them all A’s.

Kids who grew up on Herwen Drive in Shippensburg during the 1970s and ’80s all describe it as a special time and place. What luck, then, that Larry and Helen bought a home on that street. There, the Fibers met the Cooper, Cowdrey, Merkle, and Norcross families, among others. Their kids played together, and the families became good friends and colleagues, with friendships lasting to this day.

In May 1970, when Helen was in the hospital for the birth of her second child, she met Darlene West. The two women were maternity roommates, and both gave birth to sons on the same day, May 16. The Wests and the Fibers became great friends, accumulating more than 50 years of stories about card games, mahjong marathons, and assorted shenanigans.

In 1986, Helen took a job with New York State Higher Education in Albany, NY, where she reviewed mathematics curricula for school districts around the state. Later, Helen was an adjunct professor at SUNY Oneonta and ultimately retired after more than a decade as District Director of Mathematics for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District.

Surprisingly, despite all she accomplished in education, Helen always maintained that her favorite job in her long career was her first one, at Bell Telephone.

In retirement, Helen and Larry spent years helping to raise grandchildren, watching Yankees baseball, and traveling to visit friends and family. One of Helen’s favorite things was listening to Larry play the accordion. At home, he would play 45-minute sets of polkas and standards, and Helen loved listening to him.

Helen loved being around all of her grandchildren. She was delighted by the latest additions to the family from Dan and Tara and loved watching Finn and Mia play, grow, and learn to walk over the last couple of years.

She also maintained wonderful relationships with her nephews Paul, Alfie, and Jerome (aka Brother), all of whom were her favorite—to put to rest any ongoing disputes.

In 2016, Helen was heartbroken when her daughter-in-law, Jill Fiber, passed away far too early in life. Afterward, Helen opened her home and helped provide Jill and Larry Lee’s children with extra support and love while they finished high school and their father traveled for work.

The Fiber family cannot overstate the kindness and love that Haley Fiber provided Helen for more than five years. When Haley saw the need to level up Helen’s care, she did not hesitate to act. Haley’s sacrifice and dedication allowed Helen to continue enjoying life at home, surrounded by love and family.

A special thank-you also goes to LeaAnn Ferrell, Kali Leach, and Kinlea Leach for the kindness and love they provided Helen over the years as additional caregivers.

Helen spent her final months in the care of the staff and volunteers at Mary’s Haven in Saratoga Springs. A sincere and heartfelt thank-you to Lissa, Becca, Jolene, and all the volunteers at Mary’s Haven for welcoming Helen and providing her with love, dignity, and kindness.

We would never have made it without all of you.

Helen will be laid to rest at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, NY, on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made by check to Mary’s Haven, 35 New St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com