Dr. Helen Whitehouse passed away peacefully on March 5, 2022 after a brief illness. Born in Fremont, Ohio on February 24, 1927, she lived most of her adult life in Ann Arbor, Michigan and received AB, MA and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan. She taught public elementary school children in Hawaii and in Ann Arbor for a number of years. Following graduate school training in educational psychology, she taught psychology and child development courses at Henry Ford Community College and Eastern Michigan University. She developed and coordinated early intervention programs for the Michigan Department of Mental Health, working directly and closely with parents to improve parent-infant interactions and relationships. Subsequently she wrote the book Dialogue: From Birth to One Year, excerpts of which were used by Ross Laboratories for their parenting information booklet, ”You and Your Baby,” published in 1987 and distributed nationally for several years to parents of newborns.

She married Dr. Frank Whitehouse Jr. in 1951 and they were the devoted parents of four children: Lynne (Bruce) Fry, Beth (Douglas) Cox, Frank Scott and Kim (Ted) Diehl; the loving grandparents of seven grandchildren: Gretchen (Craig) Mueller, Laura (Seth) Gilbertson, Heather (Drew) Walsh, Michelle (Mark) Yager, Leanora Cox, Krista and Carl Jordan (C.J.) Diehl. They were the delighted great-grandparents of six: Aurora and Lillian Gilbertson, Theo and Parker Walsh, Jacob Mueller and Mara Yager. They shared their enjoyment of life with a large family of parents and relatives, gathering frequently, and with many friends.

A private family funeral will be held.

Donations in Dr. Whitehouse’s memory may be sent to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, 35 Research Drive, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, or made online at Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra under “Make a Gift.”