Helen M. (Taylor) Sullivan

Waltham – Helen M. Sullivan passed away peacefully at home on May 20, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Born Helen May Taylor on June 19, 1933, to the late Sterling and Bessie (Grant) Taylor, she was a lifelong resident of Waltham. It was here where she met, and later married, the love of her life, Charles (Charlie) D. Sullivan. Together they raised five beautiful children in their historic brick house on Lincoln Street.

Helen found joy in simple pleasures. She always had a crossword puzzle on hand, alongside a well-worn crossword dictionary held together with an elastic. She loved gardening, reading, and her favorite television programs. A sci-fi girl at heart, she never missed an episode of Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. She was the quintessential QVC Queen. And when Murder She Wrote was airing, she had to have “her Jessica.” But Helen adored books, too, and remained an avid reader until her eyesight declined. When she could no longer read physical books, she began borrowing audiobooks from Perkins School for the Blind, bundles she eagerly anticipated each week until the day she died.

A seasoned traveler, Helen was lucky enough to experience much of what the world has to offer, both home and abroad. She cruised the seas with her husband, vacationed with friends in Bermuda and Aruba, and visited ancestral lands of Ireland and Nova Scotia. In her later years, she accompanied her granddaughters to Paris on a stroll down the Champs-Élysées and wandered with them through the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain. In the states, Helen had an oceanside home in Dunedin, Florida, and another on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, New Hampshire—both of which were havens of love and relaxation where she and her whole family made many, many beautiful memories.

Through it all, Helen was the epitome of timeless elegance—always perfectly polished and accessorized. Quietly stoic, she carried herself with unwavering strength and grace. She was unflappable in the face of life’s challenges, meeting each moment with calm resolve and confidence. A proud wife and devoted mother and homemaker, she embraced her role with pride and poise. Her presence was a steady comfort to those around her. She was the brick and mortar that held the family together, and she leaves behind a legacy of love, dignity, and resilience that will aid her family for generations.

In addition to her husband, Charles, she is predeceased by her son, Michael J. Sullivan; her brother, Stirling G. Taylor and his late wife Joan; and her granddaughter, Caroline Sullivan.

She leaves four children: Lynne S. Thambash (John) of Woburn, Julie A. Sullivan (William Aucoin) of Waltham, Kathleen M. Green (Robert) of Center Harbor, NH, and Charles D. ‘Chip’ Sullivan, Jr. of Waltham; twelve grandchildren: Casie Landry, Melanie Thambash, Sarah Lynch (Ryan), Allison Clements (Jayson), Julia Sullivan, Andrew Green (Laura), Rachel Green, Corrie Dirksmeier, Elizabeth Sullivan, Jaina Mann, Erika Woodward and Kristen Raskett; great-grandchildren: Connor and Cole Clements, Morgan, Thomas, and Madelyn Lynch, and Shawn Green; two surviving sisters-in-law: Margaret ‘June’ Rhodes and Gayle McCue, both of Waltham; and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends will honor Helen's life by gathering for an Evening Wake at Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham, on Monday, June 2nd, 2025, from 4 to 7 p.m. Burial services at Mount Feake Cemetery will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Perkins School for the Blind. This organization was integral in the latter stages of Helen’s life and afforded her countless hours of entertainment she would not have otherwise had. https://support.perkins.org/give/598670/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=AGOF25ZSW103M