My Mom, Nana Helen's obituary

Helen A. Arthur
d. March 1, 2008

Published in the Boston Globe, Sunday, March 2nd, 2008...

Helen Adams Carroll Arthur often referred to her grade school days in the North Shore town of Salisbury as being the perfect atmosphere for a youngster to grow and enjoy the outdoors and it was where she fostered friendships from the first grade that have provided her a lifetime of annual get-togethers with those classmates. Helen was born in the Allston section of Boston in 1940 to Andrew J. and Irene A. Carroll moving to Salisbury when she was five. Helen attended Newburyport High where she enjoyed competitive athletics of basketball, a sport that she played later in life taking on her children in games of HORSE in the driveway. Sports were important to Helen and she made sure that her children participated in sports in all of the seasons. She enjoyed tennis with her friends at the Sippican Tennis Club, golf at the Kittansett Club where she was a member for many years and skiing throughout North America with her children. Her love of fashion and interior design inspired her throughout her life and was evident in her beautifully decorated homes as well as her personal sense of style. She also delighted in the beauty intrinsic in design and color of the gardens at her home and in creating unique floral arrangements. Her nightly potpourri on the piano, performed while the children did homework with her background encouragement, was silenced in 1987 by rheumatoid arthritis. She never complained nor did this disease dampen her love of music or of sports.

Helen married Richard I. “Dick” Arthur in 1959 and briefly lived on Ring’s Island across from Newburyport. Living in Newport, RI for four delightful years was followed by forty-three years in Marion on the Massachusetts South Coast. Helen was active in the Catholic Women’s Club of Saint Rita’s Parish and delighted in managing the teenage girl’s softball team of the Parish.
Focus on family was always first with Helen and she has been the confidant of each of the children from their youth, as well as providing the deep, constant love and encouragement that youngsters cherish in a mother and grandmother.

Helen died Saturday, March 1st in Marion after a short illness surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband and her children Jeanne and her husband Ted Ackley of Warren RI; Richard and his partner Stephanie of Mattapoisett; Brian and his wife Lynn of East Greenwich, RI; Christine and her husband Trey Klein of Belmont; and Stephen and his wife Elena of Marblehead. Her grandchildren, to whom she is known as “Nana”, Kathryn, Jon, Emily, Tom, Madeleine, Julia, Anne, Carolyn, Grace, Flora Jeanne, Jameson and Evan will miss her greatly. Survivors also include her siblings Robert Carroll, and Anne Jones of Salisbury, MA and Mary Easto of Venice, FL. Helen is predeceased by her son Jonathan and her sister Irene Mulrey of Walpole, MA.

Visitation will be held at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett on Friday evening March 7th from 5 to 8 PM. Her Memorial Service will be held at the Wickenden Chapel at Tabor Academy on Saturday the 8th of March at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sippican Lands Trust, 589 Mill Street, Marion, MA 02738. For directions and guestbook, click here: Saunders-Dwyer (select Mattapoisett, then Helen Arthur and feel free to leave a message there for my Dad or family).