Helen Vengren "Jackie" Reck, 80, of Easton died January 7 at St Vincent's Medical Center. She was the beloved wife of the late Walter M. Reck. Born in Dracut, Mass., on June 17, 1936, she was a daughter of Raymond and Helen Martin Vengren.

Her loving children, Kristen Renzi and her husband, Mark, of Newtown and Paul Reck and his wife, Lisa, of West Hartford; grandchildren, Marina, Teah, Carter, Griffin, Nolan, and Sam; brother-in-law, Jerome Curreri of Revere, Mass.; and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends survive her. In addition to Mrs Reck's husband, her brother, Ray Vengren, and sister, Marion Curreri, predeceased her.

She was a graduate of State Teachers College at Boston, was an elementary school teacher in Norwalk Public Schools, and a nursery school teacher at the Easton Congregational Church Nursery School. She loved being a teacher before and after raising her children and worked to ensure benefits for Norwalk Retired Teachers.

She was deeply involved in her parish, Notre Dame of Easton, and was committed to living out her faith. She received the Saint Augustine Medal of Service in 2014 from the Diocese of Bridgeport.

For the last several years, she was a volunteer at the Easton Senior Center and member of the Board of Directors. Mrs Reck loved traveling and learning about the places she traveled to. She enjoyed the opera, plays, and musicals, and spending time in the company of her family and her many good friends. She loved the life God had given her and lived it well. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, she especially loved spending time with her grandchildren, attending their school and extracurricular events and taking them on special outings.

Funeral services will be Friday, January 13, at 10 am, meeting directly in Notre Dame of Easton Church, 655 Morehouse Road, Easton, with a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in St Michael's Cemetery, 2205 Stratford Avenue, Stratford.

Friends may call Thursday, January 12, from 4 to 8 pm, in the Redgate-Hennessy Funeral Home, 4 Gorham Place, at Main Street, Trumbull.

Donations in Mrs Reck's memory can be made to The Notre Dame Sanctuary Fund, 655 Morehouse Road, Easton CT 06612.

To send online condolences, visit redgatehennessy.com.