CHICOPEE – Helene C. (Kane) Sears, 88, a former longtime resident of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026. She was born in Manhattan, NY on May 28, 1937, a beloved daughter of the late Bernard J. and Helen V. Kane. She was raised and educated in Queens, NY and had moved to Chicopee in 1960 where she lived the remainder of her life. She was employed at the John Boyle O’Reilly Club in Springfield where she also was a Life Member. She was a communicant of the former Holy Name Church and currently was a communicant of Saint Anthony of Padua Church, both in Chicopee. Above all, she loved spending time with her family, her grandchildren and her many friends. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Michael J. Sears. She leaves her four children, Michael Sears and his husband, Ben Redcross, of Oakland, CA, Christine Kiely of Greer, SC, Kenneth Sears and his wife, Chris, of Valparaiso, IN and Elizabeth Liptrap and her husband, Timothy, of Coventry, CT; her six grandchildren, Ryan Sears and his wife, Makenzie, Shannon Sears and her fiancé, Kevin Jugovic, Kathryn Sears, Emily Sears, Benjamin Liptrap and Aiden Liptrap; her three sisters, Patricia Gallagher and Theresa Gershberg, both of New York and Mary Keenan and her husband, Edward, of New Jersey; her brother, Lawrence Kane and his wife, Patricia, of New York; her four sisters in law, Marian Kane of Florida and Mary Sears, Bridie Sears and Margaret Moriarty, all of Ireland; and her many nephews, nieces, cousins, extended family members and friends in the United States and Ireland. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth Gross; and her three brothers, Bernard, Joseph and John Kane. Her Funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 beginning at the St. Pierre-Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Saint Anthony of Padua Church, 56 Saint Anthony Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. Her Burial will follow the Mass at Calvary Cemetery, 292 Hampden Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, January 12, 2026 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The funeral home parking lot and main entrance are located at the rear at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made in her memory to the John Boyle O’Reilly Club, 33 Progress Avenue, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details and to leave her family condolence messages, please visit:
www.stpierrephaneuf.com
