Helen M. Visone | Company president, 88

Helen M. Oruska Visone, 88, of Bensalem, president of Cornwells Construction Co., died of heart failure, Wednesday, March 23, at home.

Mrs. Visone grew up in Port Richmond and, as a teenager, went to work for Bell Telephone Co.

In 1946, she married Vincent Visone. They were introduced by Edward Dragun, who married Mrs. Visone's sister, Bertha. The two men teamed up to build homes for their families in Bensalem.

In 1955, Mrs. Visone and her husband established Cornwells Construction, a concrete contractor in Bensalem. While assisting her husband, she worked part-time in the evenings at the Strawbridge & Clothier department store in Bensalem for 10 years.

After her husband died in 1987, she and her sons continued to operate Cornwells Construction.

Mrs. Visone was an avid Sixers fan and Scrabble player and loved cooking her husband's Italian favorites.

"She was the family's rock and my best friend," daughter Susan Ashton said.

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Visone is survived by sons Michael and Mark; another daughter, Barbara Maher; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Son Vincent Jr. died in 1997.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 27, and from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday, March 28, at Tomlinson Funeral Home, 2207 Bristol Pike, Bensalem. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 1731 Hulmeville Rd., Bensalem, Pa. 19020. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem. Donations may be made to the church.