Helen Marie Cosens

Helen M. (Shurtleff) Cosens of Livonia, Michigan, passed peacefully from this life on August 31, 2025. Born January 1, 1926, in Levering to Will and Lillian (Sullivan) Shurtleff, she was raised in Cross Village and graduated from Harbor Springs High School. In 1947 she married the late Walter L. Cosens from Harbor Springs.

Helen received a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University in 1950, later receiving her masters degree from the University of Michigan.

She was a teacher by profession, beginning her career in Garden City and ultimately retiring from the Plymouth-Canton School District where she taught early elementary students for many years. A lifelong U of M football fan, Helen enjoyed spending summers in her Cross Village home, reading, history, genealogy, travel, golf, bridge, and chocolate.

Her parents, beloved husband, and sister Elizabeth J. Richards, preceded her in death. Helen is survived by her children, Cindy (Daniel) Swigert and Walter (Mariesa) Cosens, Jr; grandchildren Kyle Swigert, Bradley Warren, Jeffrey Warren, Melanie (Chase) Richards, and Melissa Cosens; sister M. Jane Talcott; and many extended relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 5, 2025 from 4:00 until 7:00 PM at R.G & G.R. Harris Funeral Home, 15451 Farmington Rd., in Livonia, MI. A visitation and graveside service will be held in Harbor Springs, MI. Schiller Funeral Home is coordinating those arrangements. Helen will be laid to rest next to her husband, Walter, during a graveside service and burial at Lakeview Cemetery in Harbor Springs.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Helen’s memory to the American Heart Association, Harbor Springs Historical Society, or the Bentley Historical Museum at the University of Michigan.

Please share a memory of Helen by signing her Guestbook.