Mary Helen (Gaskins) Hart, 91 of Indian Head, Maryland.

Her Journey

Mary Helen Hart affectionately known as Helen was born June 28, 1931 to Veronica Green and Robert Gaskins.

Helen was raised in Washington, D.C. by Lela and Richard Bruce.  She loved riding the cable cars and attended weekly dance lessons.  Helen would practice tap dancing in the hall and stairways of the apartment building where they lived.  She took great pride in her ability to navigate the city.  Helen learned valuable life lessons from her time growing up in the city. She was an excellent student and passed down the importance of an education to all in the family.

Helen moved to Indian Head, Maryland where she met and later married her husband Gilbert Hart and raised a family.  In later years, they enjoyed traveling in their RV, taking breaks from the Maryland winters to live in Florida until the spring.

Helen was an avid reader and lover of the arts. She has an extensive library and was well versed in theater, film, music and dance history.  A collector of historical jazz and classical recordings, you could hear everything from jazz to Puccini and Verdi operas throughout the house.

Helen was not just a homemaker but also a long time caregiver to her mother, Veronica Green Dashiell and sister, Norma Mae Patterson "Bena" and her family. She was like a mother to her sister's children and was always available to be a support to them.

A social activist in the community in the late 1950's she sought to right the wrongs of racial injustice and segregation in Charles County. With the help of the NAACP, they filed Hart v. Board of Education of Charles County in 1958 to provide black children transportation to desegregated schools of which they were enrolled.

Peacefully on Sunday, March 12, 2023 Helen transitioned to eternal life at the age of 91 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Gaskins and Veronica Green Dashiell;  husband, Gilbert Hart and sister, Norma Mae Patterson. Helen leaves: her son, Gilbert Gregory, daughter, Veronica Yvette, brother, Wayne Dashiell, a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, god-children, in-laws, other relatives and friends.

Viewing, 10:00 a.m.; Tributes & Reflections, 10:30 a.m. until time of the Christian Burial Funeral Service, 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 25, 2023 in the Chapel of Thornton Funeral Home, P.A., 3439 Livingston Road, Indian Head, Maryland 20640. Interment, 9:45 a.m., Monday, April 10, 2023 at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, Maryland 20623.