Charlotte Bonnycastle

Charlotte “Bonny” Bonnycastle Helm, age 74 of 171 Upper Delevan Avenue, Corning, died on Sunday May 4th.
Bonny was born in Louisville, KY on November 19, 1933, the daughter of the late Arthur and Sally (Whitehead) Bonnycastle. She was the wife of the late John Blakey Helm who predeceased her in 1986.
Bonny was a graduate of The Louisville Collegiate School and of Bennett Junior College in Millbrook, NY. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Elmira College in Early Childhood Education. She opened the Preschool Nursery in 1962 and operated it for thirty years before gifting it to the Corning Family YMCA.
Bonny’s dedication to quality childhood education extended beyond The Preschool Nursery.
Besides pioneering the concepts of preparation and readiness for school in her Corning facility, she taught early childhood development in her tenure at both Elmira College and Corning Community College. She worked for many years as a Federal consultant for CDA teacher training at the preschool level throughout the Southern Tier. She was a current member of the Corning Hospital Board for over 20 years, and served multiple terms on the Boards of Hospice and the Family Service Society, among many others.
Her interests included travel, quality healthcare for the community, Gesell School Readiness Testing for appropriate school placement for children, knitting, reading and entertaining.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law John and Andrea Helm of Simpsonville, SC; her daughter and son-in-law Anne and T.J. Galvin of Painted Post NY; her sister and brother-in-law Sally and Archie Hardy of Columbia, SC; grandsons Bennett Helm and Jack and Mason Galvin; granddaughter Morgan Helm; her best friend, Dutch Craumer of Corning; and several nieces and nephews.
There will be no calling hours. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service for Bonny at Christ Episcopal Church 33 East First Street Corning Friday May 9th at 10:00am with Rev. Jorge Gutierrez officiating Burial will be in Louisville at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, Bonny would love for the playground at the YMCA that is dedicated to her be maintained and improved via contributions to the “Corning Family YMCA Children’s Garden Fund”, 127 Centerway, Corning, NY 14830. Arrangements have been entrusted to Phillips Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 17 W. Pulteney St. in Corning.¹