Helen Blois Hammond

HOPEDALE Helen Blois Hammond, 90, of Hopedale, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in the Milford Regional Medical Center, after a period of declining health. She was the wife of Freeman L. Hammond, who died Jan. 2, 1994. She was predeceased by her brother, Paul D. Blois, formerly of Westborough. Born in Westborough on Jan. 25, 1918, Mrs. Hammond was the daughter of the late William C. and Ethel M. (Dearing) Blois. She was a graduate of Westborough High School, Class of 1936, and went on to graduate from Boston University in 1941. Mrs. Hammond attended her 60-year Boston University Class reunion in 2001. She was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at Boston University. Mrs. Hammond was employed as a senior sales clerk by NSTAR, formerly the Commonwealth Gas Company, in Southborough for 15 years, before retiring in 1983. She also worked in the Hopedale Town Hall Registrars office for 12 years and volunteered at the Milford Regional Medical Center for many, many years. Mrs. Hammond proudly served for five years as the first ever Director of Housing for the Elderly in Hopedale.Mrs. Hammond was a member for over 50 years of the Hopedale Unitarian Parish, where she was active in the Ladies Alliance of Church and many committees within the church. She was a member of the Bethany #13 Chapter Order of the Eastern Star in Westborough. She was past president of the former Hopedale Womens Club and past president of the former Upton Womens Club. Mrs. Hammond is survived by one son, Richard L. Hammond of Mendon; two granddaughters, Sonja Hammond Metcalfe of Novato, Calif., and Jennifer D. Hammond of Hopedale; two great-grandsons in California; two nephews, Dexter Blois of Westborough, and David Blois of Pennsylvania; three nieces, Susan Brown of Florida, Sally Petersen and Pauline Thayer, both of Westborough, and many grand nieces and nephews.A memorial service will be held at the Hopedale Unitarian Parish, 39 Hopedale St., Hopedale, on Friday, Sept. 19, at 11 a.m. Interment will be in the Hopedale Village Cemetery, at the convenience of the family. Visiting hours will be Thursday, Sept. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Buma Sargeant Funeral Home (www.bumafuneralhome.com), 42 Congress St., Milford. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mrs. Hammonds memory may be made to the Hopedale Unitarian Parish, c/o Ammen Goodwill Fund, 39 Hopedale St., Hopedale, MA 01747.