Helen Wingo Cannon Brandenburg, 79, of Daniel Island, South Carolina, entered into eternal rest Monday, April 6, 2026. Her Memorial Service will be held September 12 at 11:00 a.m. at J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., West Ashley Chapel, 3360 Glenn McConnell Parkway.

Helen was born February 14, 1947, in Charleston, South Carolina, daughter of the late Dr. Albert Cannon and Mary Josephine Ferrell Cannon. A dancer at heart, Helen carried grace, discipline, and creativity throughout her life. Ballet was her first passion, leading her from the stage of a touring company in her teens and twenties to the studio as a teacher, and finally to the directorship of the Athens Ballet Company.

Helen devoted her life to language, imagination, and community. Over her 30 years teaching English at Bishop England High School, she inspired generations of students with her belief that literature and writing were forms of play and discovery - a philosophy she summed up simply as “Play, play, play!” She remained a lifelong learner, completing advanced studies at the College of Charleston, UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Lowcountry Writing Project.

Helen joined the Poetry Society of South Carolina in 2004 and soon became one of its most dedicated members. She holds the record as the Society’s longest-serving Treasurer, completing fourteen consecutive years on the Board. She was also a proud member of Richard Garcia’s Long Table Poets, contributing collaborative works such as A Week of Kindness and The Dog Sonnets. Her poetry earned multiple awards from the Poetry Society, including the Dubose Heyward Prize, and she was twice a finalist in the South Carolina Poetry Initiative Single Poem Contest.

Helen’s work appeared in many respected journals, including American Poetry Review, Colorado Review, Iowa Review, Pleiades, Prairie Schooner, Barrow Street, Epoch, and Best American Poetry 2001. She also wrote ekphrastic poems inspired by visual art, including a piece based on a portrait of her by Charleston artist, Ray Goodbred.

Beyond her literary accomplishments, Helen lived a richly creative and contemplative life. She loved pilates, knitting, collecting fountain pens, Jungian dreamwork, making artist’s cards, and walking around the island. Friends remember her sharp wit, her generosity, and her ability to find humor even in difficult moments.

She is survived by her daughter, Mary (Brandenburg) O’Connor; son-in-law, Daniel O’Connor; her grandchildren, Eleanor Arrowood and Henry Arrowood; her son, Jarrott Drummond Brandenburg III; her sisters, Josephine Cannon and Jeannie (Cannon) King, and brother-in-law, John King; and her dear friend and companion, James Robin Abbott.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Katherine (Cannon) Morgan.

Memorials may be made to the Poetry Society of South Carolina or the Parents and Guardian Association of the Coastal Center.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., West Ashley Chapel.

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