Obituary of Helen Fredette

Helen M. (Croke) Fredette, a resident of Burlington for 53 years, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center on Monday evening, July 6, 2009. She was 81 years old. Helen was born in the family home in Everett. She was raised and educated in Everett. She was one of four children born to the late William and Mary Croke. Prior to her marriage Helen worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She also worked part-time as a Sales Clerk at Jordan Marsh. George and Helen settled in Burlington in 1956 where they developed many friendships in the community. Helen loved to do cross word puzzle. She also enjoyed playing cards. Helen was very supportive of her husband George’s role in the Knights of Columbus and attended many of the activities with him. She loved to travel and had taken many cruises and had visited such places as Ireland and Europe. Helen had a very special relationship with her nieces and nephews who were a very important part of her life. She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary. She was very supportive of them and proud of all their accomplishments. Helen was a loving wife, sister, aunt and friend will be missed. Helen was the beloved wife of 52 years of George. She was the loving sister of Edward Croke of Lowell and the late Charles and William Croke. Helen is also survived by 23 devoted nieces & nephews, 54 grand nieces and nephews & 3 great grand nieces. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday July 11 at 10 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 11 a.m. Visiting hours Friday 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. Interment in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Helen’s name may be made to the Knights of Columbus Exception Children’s Fund, P. O. Box 25, Burlington, MA 01803 Words of Remembrance ~ Aunt Helen The other night when Uncle George called and asked me if I would say a few words about Helen, I felt honored to be asked. Is it possible to say a few words about a woman who means “the world” to everyone here today? A wife , a sister, a sister in law, a cousin, a godmother, an aunt to 23 nieces and nephews, a great aunt to 53, a great-great aunt to 3, a friend, a confidant, a caretaker, a caregiver, the family event planner, the family matriarch - a role model to be admired and cherished…and cherish her I do, because besides all of these roles, Aunt Helen was also like a mother to me and my brothers for several years. After my mom died when I was 9, Aunt Helen would come every weekend and pick me and my brother Peter up and take us up to her house for the weekend. Uncle George, on the other hand, would often head up to Lynnfield to give my dad a reprieve from my three teenage brothers. Wow, what an undertaking that was… I think we need to add “saint” to that list of roles! I am still sure that we have not thanked Helen and you, George, enough for the kindness you shared with our family – so thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts. Weekends with Helen were always an adventure and spending time with family and friends was definitely Helen’s top priority. She would think nothing of gathering as many of us cousins as she could pack into her car and take a little drive. Some of my fondest memories include the trips to Windsor street in Everett to visit the Buonopanes’s; the many trips to George’s parents cottage in Hampton Beach; going through “the Lemon Squeeze” at The Polar Caves and the yearly hikes up Mt. Chocorua and Mt. Monadnock. One year, Helen and George took some of the older cousins and decided to climb Mt. Washington. I understand the trip up wasn’t so bad but coming down was a challenge, especially when they realization hit home that Helen’s prescription sunglasses were left at the peak. I believe that subject was off limits for many years. I will also never forget the 4th of July celebrations at Simons Park…especially the year that Bobby and I lost Peter and he got a ride home in a police car. I think Peter was about 5 and he told the police man that he could show him the way to Helen’s. He told him, first you have to go down this long bumpy road…but he got there; Nana was sitting on the porch and Helen came out and saw the police car and nearly fainted… Peter was safe but Bobby and I were at the park crying our eyes out blaming each other for his disappearance. I think Helen soothed that battle with the popsicles that were always in her freezer. And, how about those Septembers at Moody Beach; and the Annual Family Christmas Parties, which due to population growth grew out of the family homes to St. Margaret’s Hall- This I think was Helen’s favorite family event! She’d start out in September and hit every “santa couples” home with baggies of names to draw, boy she had that system down to a science, yet when the day of the party arrived, she’d always have an extra gift or two, just in case someone extra came along. I also remember Helen’s adoration of Joe and the countless trips she made with Claire to Children’s hospital; the Sunday dinners with Fr Joe and/or Fr. Costello; and let’s not forget, Helen’s presence at every baptism, first communion, confirmation, graduation and wedding of every niece and nephew, and round two of the same for every great niece and nephew….you could probably count on one hand those celebrations that she missed and that would only be under the most dire circumstances. In fact, a few years back, Helen and George went with me and my daughter Kim to California to my niece Heather’s wedding. My parents were not physically able to travel and Helen and George decided it would be nice to give a fair representation of the east coast clan and off we went. We had a ball! And if you can imagine this, we even took in a few amusement rides at Universal studios…I certainly hope when I’m in my 70’s I can enjoy the log flume ride as much as Helen did. The jury is still out on George’s enjoyment…all I can remember is he was wearing either linen pants or a linen shirt and after the splashdown he was convinced his clothes were going to shrink before our eyes. Aunt Helen had a knack for making everyone feel special because that’s what Helen was all about, warm, loving, gentle, kind and fair. Over the years Aunt Helen swooped right in and took on our spouses as her own as well. And then, as our families grew, Helen simply added them to her extended family. We often wonder whether she had stock in Hallmark, as she NEVER missed sending off a card for a birthday or anniversary, and for many years, there was always a little something extra tucked inside. There are certainly many other special “Aunt Helen” moments, more than every tear drop that has been shed here today because Helen was special to all of us. Uncle George, how lucky are you to have shared 52 years of love together? She has truly been a gift from God that we will cherish always. We will all miss her very much. Aunt Helen signed every card and ended every conversation with these three simple words “God Bless You”. Let us all take comfort in knowing that today, Helen, God has Blessed You!