Helen's husband, Anthony Lacey Hawkins, a salesman of audio equipment, was traveling on Pan Am 103 after visiting family in England. She has one adult son, Alan Lacey, a graphic computer designer. Helen joined VPAF103 February 1989 and served as Secretary from 1992-1996, as the 4th editor of TruthQuest from 1996 -2001, and continues to contribute to the newsletter.

She established the Tony Hawkins Memorial Award for Excellence in Radio Drama in 1991 at Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U. Three Awards are given in original, adaptation and audio art. 

Helen published The Longest Night/A Personal History of Pan Am 103 (2013); an audiobook of excerpts from the memoir (2009); Coming Home To Us: A Trilogy of Love, Loss and Healing with Marjorie Van Halteren, audio artist-one of the audio features, Yesterday and Forever, focuses on five widows; another, Mothers and Sons, on Suse Lowenstein paired with Kaethe Kollwitz, each artist who lost sons to violence and used their art as sculptors, to honor them (2011).