Obituary of Ethel Staples

Ethel M. Staples, a retired Draftsman, passed away after a long illness at the Aberjona Nursing Home on Monday night, May 25, 2009. She was 91 years old. Ethel was born in Somerville, the daughter of the late Harris and Ida Mullin. She lived in Somerville until the age of 10, and at the point in her life, her family returned to New Bruswick Canada. She resided in New Bruswick until she was 19, and then returned to Massachusetts. She was a graduate of Girls Trade School and Boston Technical Institute, where she earned her degree in Drafting. Ethel was a very talented seamstress. She had worked for R.H. Stearns, where she made alterations to wedding gowns. At home, she used her sewing skill to make all sorts of clothes for her family and friends. Ethel then went on to work as a draftsman for Jergenson Gauge and Valve in Burlington for 45 years. At her time of her retirement, she was the company’s chief draftsman. She enjoyed the challenges of her work and the time spent with her coworkers. Ethel had resided in a number of communties over her 91 years including, Somerville, Saugus, Melrose, Burlington, and Woburn. She had a strong faith and was an active parishioner at the Fellowship Bible Church in Burlington and the Billerica Community Congregational Church. Ethel was a lifetime member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary Saugus Post. She enjoyed Tole painting, knitting, and cooking. She was well known for her cookies. She was a life long friend of Greta Guptill. She was not only a mother, but friend to her daughter, Elaine. They could talk about almost anything and enjoyed the time they shared with each other. Ethel cherished the time spent with her grandchildren. She will be lovingly remembered by all. Ethel was the beloved wife of the late Paul D. Staples. She was the loving mother of Elaine Holt & her husband Gregory of Woburn and devoted grandmother of Jakob and Mikaela Holt of Woburn. She was the sister of Grace McGill & her husband Hugh of Saint John, New Bruswick, Canada, Harriet MacDonald of Wittmann, AZ & her late husband Weldon, and the late Margaret DeMattia & her late husband Dominic. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday, May 30 at 11 a.m. Visiting hours Friday 3-7 p.m. Interment in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ethel’s name may be made to the Community Congregational Church, 803 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01821. Saturday’s Child Poem Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is full of love, Thursday’s child has far to go, Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living, And the child that is born on the Sabbath day Is bony and blithe, and good and gay. Ethel M. Staples Dec.1, 1917 – May 25, 2009 Her Story Harris C. and Ida Mae (Sisson) Mullin welcomed their first daughter, Ethel Mae Mullin, on Saturday, December 1, 1917 in Somerville, MA. And like the poem states, Saturday’s child works hard for a living, Ethel did just that. Ethel was the eldest child of four, later joined by sisters Grace, Harriet and Margaret. Mom lived in Somerville. When Ethel was 6, she had her tonsils removed for the first time (yes, she had them removed twice – they grew back!). Then pneumonia and whopping cough was added to this illness. It was the sickest year of her life. I remember mom telling me they thought she wouldn’t make it. The doctor told them to take her to the country for fresh air to get her strength back. So Ida took Ethel and Grace and went to Canada to Grammie Sisson’s farm in Tracy, NB to recuperate. Ethel had many fond memories of the pine tree outside of her window at her grandmother’s house. That same pine tree was cut down several years ago, and her brother-in-law Hughie made the four girls clocks out of the slices of pine they salvaged. Harriet wrote the poem about the pine tree and a picture was found and copies were made. The tree lives on in each of the girls memories. Once Ethel was well again they went back to Somerville. It was there, at the age of 8, that she met her lifelong friend Greta (Pine) Guptill and the rest of the Pine family. Mom and Greta have been close friends now for over 80 years! Not many people today can say that! Mom had a special ability to make good friends and maintain the friendships over the years. Then, at the age of 10, her family moved to Fredericton Junction, NB Canada. There they lived on the family farm in the country. Mom has shared many stories over the years of the cold winters and warming the bed, which she shared with sister Grace, up at night with the coals from the fire, many walks to school in several feet of snow, and in the spring time of the ice going out of the Saint John River. Mom worked hard on the farm where there were tales of her and Grace having to cook for the men that boarded with the family and sometimes the cooking wasn’t so good! There was also times when mom’s perfectionism got the best of Grace and her. We always got a good laugh when Grace tells the story of the two of them painting. Mom ended up with a mouthful of paint in the end! If something tasted bad she always said “It tastes like paint!” I guess she knew what paint tasted like!! When mom became a teenager, she got her first paying job working at a rooming house in Sussex, NB. There she made $8 per month and she only got one day off per month to herself! Then she worked as a maid for a doctor and his family. The pay was a bit better and she got one day a week off. By the age of 19, she and the family moved back to Somerville, MA, and then to Melrose, MA. There was another job as a maid. There was also the job working with Greta in the Squirrel Brand Peanut Factory making candy. It was then that she went to Girls Trade School in Boston and learned to be a seamstress. While taking classes there, she learned about pattern making. This got her interested in drafting. She worked as a seamstress for R. H. Sterns in Boston altering wedding dresses. She also went back to school nights at Boston Institute of Technology to study mechanical drafting. One of only a couple of women attending! Mom was the first feminist before it was fashionable! Ethel got a job as draftsman for Jerguson Gauge & Valve in Somerville, MA. (The company later relocated to Burlington, MA) She worked her way up to the Chief Draftsman position, supervisor of the department. Mom was highly respected on the job. She worked for Jerguson for over 43 years (plus 5 year off due to maternity) until retiring at the age of 67. It was at Jerguson that she met the love of her life Paul Staples. Ethel and Paul were married June 22, 1952 and they moved to Saugus, MA. Paul and Ethel liked to travel and there were stories of trips to Niagara Falls, Maine, Washington DC, Canada, etc. Not to mention the many Sunday drives and time spent with family and friends. Paul and Ethel were also active in the VFW Post in Saugus. Mom was a lifetime member of the Ladies Auxiliary. Mom was a loving aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was always there for them, helping in whatever way she could. Making dresses for the girls and taking them on trips and stays at her house. Mom had a very loving and generous spirit. It wasn’t until August 4, 1961 that they welcomed a daughter, Elaine Jewel Staples. Boy was the family surprised! Margaret would tell the story of mom telling her sister that she was expecting. I guess that Ethel was doing a lot of remodeling, buying furniture and such. Margaret wondered what she was expecting this time – couches, tables, bedroom furniture? Mom said “No! I am pregnant!” Mom stayed home to raise me for 5 years. During that time, Ethel took in sewing work to help with extra money for the family. I remember trips to Boston to turn in work and there would always be a ride on the Swan Boats in the Public Garden for me! In 1966 Ethel’s mother Ida sold the farm and came to live with us. Mom said to her 5 year old, “I think I would like to go back to work part-time.” An hour later, her boss from Jerguson called her and asked her to come back to work part-time! So, Ethel went back to work as draftsman. God’s hand was all over Mom’s life, providing for her every need, even before she knew she needed it! In 1967, Paul took sick with cancer and died in 1968. He left Ethel to raise their 6 year old daughter, with the help of her mother. Ethel then increased her hours at work to full-time and worked her way back up the ladder to the Chief draftsman position, again! In 1970, we moved to Burlington to be closer to mom’s work and so she could be closer to the schools if I needed her. Mom was always putting other’s need before her own. She sacrificed much for the family - sewing clothes for me, not buying new clothes for herself, keeping a roof over our heads. She raised me to be an independent self-reliant woman. Mom always told me to be prepared to support yourself with a career, because you couldn’t count on a husband to always be there. Mom also taught me, by example, many house repair/remodel projects, i.e. laying tile, wallpapering, repairing toilets, mowing lawns, etc. Maybe that is where I got my love for construction! We always said we could never make any money at it, doing it professionally, because we were too fussy! Ethel took care of her mother in Ida’s last years. She made sure that Ida got to her dialysis appointments in Beverly, all while juggling work and a teenage daughter at home. We all had to pitch in. I learned to cook dinners for the family on dialysis nights. Mom and my grandmother were great cooks. Ethel could always whip up a delicious meal out of leftovers and whatever else she happened to have in the house. I always said Mom was the casserole queen! Ethel was also had the gift of hospitality. She welcomed unexpected visitors with open arms and was always able to feed them a meal or desert. Ethel had a sweet tooth. Her favorites were cookies, ice cream and doughnuts! Especially homemade ones like her grandmother use to make! After Ida passed in 1978, Ethel continued to work and put her daughter through college and paid for Elaine’s wedding in 1984. She finally was an empty nester! Ethel retired in 1985 and a couple of years later Ethel sold the house and returned to Melrose, MA. She so enjoyed her apartment there and being neighbors with her close friend, Mildred Risser. Mom moved with her the family “old man” plant that Ida smuggled here from Canada. She kept it on her balcony in a container. And the plant survived! Mom spent her retirement years reading (she developed a love of romance novels!), knitting (she made caps for infants in hospitals for years!), cooking & baking (mom loved to clip recipes and try them out on us!), and shopping (she used to joke that the only thing she couldn’t return was me!) She also spent time traveling to see her sisters in Canada and Arizona. There were many trips down to Fredericton Junction, NB for Come Home Week and many pictures of the parades! Ethel always loved a good parade! In 1989 Ethel helped Elaine and Greg buy the house, a split with an in-law apartment, in Woburn. In May Ethel moved in (20 years ago). It was an adjustment for all, but great having her so close, especially when the grandchildren arrived. Ethel became a Grandmother in 1991 at the age of 73, when we welcomed Jakob. Then there was another grandchild in 1994 with the addition of Mikaela. Ethel was proud of her two grandchildren and loved them dearly, and spoiled them whenever she could. It was great for both of my children to have Grammie so close and great for me with the built-in babysitter! Ethel was raised in a home with strong Christian values, Ida being Baptist and all. Mom read her Bible daily and loved Our Daily Bread for her devotionals, went to church regularly and raised me with strong Christian values. But it wasn’t until May 1, 2001 that she decided to accept Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation. It was a happy day for me, even though we were in Winchester Hospital with an extreme headache. Ethel “didn’t feel pain”, as she always said. She had a high pain threshold and was rarely sick with a cold, headache, flu, etc. This was God’s way of getting her attention! She turned out to be fine. During the last few years, Ethel began attending Community Congregational Church in Billerica, MA. Here she felt at home and welcomed. She loved the traditional service and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. She made many new friends who were such a blessing to her these last few months. Ethel and I made a trip the end last November to see Grace and Hughie in Saint John, NB. It was such a blessing to have that special week together. Mom loved sitting and reminiscing with Grace, while I helped my cousins move Hughie into his new apartment. Mom and Grace have been so close over the years. They talked on the phone almost daily and Mom loved to hear Grace’s voice. It was one of the last things she did. Last Thursday she rallied enough to talk to Grace. She kept saying she could “hear Grace good”! She even yelled at me that she “could hold the phone herself”! Mom was a stubborn, strong willed woman right up until the end! It is a legacy that is passed on through the generations! The Saturday before Easter this year, we enjoyed a full day celebrating with family. The entire Holt clan was able to attend! It is not often that all of us are available on the same day and time. After being diagnosed with the cancer, mom expressed an interest in being baptized before she died. That Saturday her Pastor came to the house and baptized her. And then we celebrated! Mom’s appetite was good that day and she looked and felt great! (see picture) God blessed us all with happy memories of her and the family and lots of laughter that day. When Ethel was diagnosed with lymphoma in January of this year, she was the only one who wasn’t shocked. She had been expecting cancer for years, ever since Dad died. But she wasn’t going to just give up and die. She fought the cancer right up until the end. She went through two rounds of chemo and two rounds of radiation. It was when we were planning to start the third round of chemo that she, and her doctors, realized that the cancer had won the battle. She predicted she would be gone in a week and it was about eight days later that she passed. It was a blessing that God didn’t allow her to linger. Ethel had 91.5 years of life, and a high quality of life up until 2 weeks ago. There are no regrets for my mom. Ethel was an amazing woman. She loved people and was loved by them, a true friend, generous and kindhearted to a fault, a hard worker, strong willed, selfless, and one terrific mother. I will be always grateful to God for allowing me to be her daughter. Missing her – Elaine Holt “No eye has seen, No ear has heard, No mind has conceived What God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9