In the early evening of Sunday, November 23, 2025, Helen Jay, fondly known as Mama Jay, of

Lawnside, New Jersey, spent her final moments with her beloved sons, Mark and Stuart Jay.

Born in Philadelphia to Eugenia Jones and Garry Jetter, Helen attended Magnolia Public

School, and went on to graduate as a member of the class of 1956 at Haddon Heights High

School.

Helen would make her way back to Philadelphia, first in the Naval Yard, and sometime later at

the John Wanamaker Department Building. But it was at the Opportunities Industrialization

Center where Helen would take center stage. In North Philadelphia, for over forty years, she

dedicated herself to ensuring that everyone she worked with was given any and every

opportunity they could advance themselves. She would go on to win numerous awards during

her time at the OIC before retiring in 2020.

A staunch advocate for education, and a fierce educator as well, Helen spent many years with

the National Hook Up of Black Women, and with the Lawnside Scholarship Club where she

once served as President.

Helen was as much of a force in the classroom as she was on the dance floor. She was the life

of every party she attended, the star of every show. Every friend and loved one who shared a

moment with her in that spotlight carries a piece of her in their hearts forever. She is there with

every beat of the songs you know she loved, every step you take in her honor.

Helen is survived by her sons Mark Jay (Rosalind Williams), and Stuart Jay. Alongside them she

is mourned by her grandchildren Ashley Newby, Mark A. Jay, Austin Jay, Warren and Jamie

Williams, and her great grandchildren Jadyn Payton, Mya Newby, Aaron Jay, and Avery Jay. As

well as her goddaughter Kelly Williams, and a host of friends and extended family members