HELEN TUEFFERD

1932 - 2016

TUEFFERD, Helen (McDougall) Born February 17, 1932 passed away peacefully on April 30, 2016 at her residence at Sunrise of Arlington, in Arlington MA. Her life was full of adventure and travel. Born in Wimbledon, England to Richard Sedgwick McDougall and Margaret Denmead McDougall. Helen is the great granddaughter of Staff Cdr. George Frederick McDougall, British Royal Navy, who served as Second Master aboard HMS Resolute on the Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-51. She is preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved sister Shirley McDougall Gillberry. She was also preceded in death by her husband Francois Tuefferd. She is survived by her son Nanook and his wife Erin, of Bingham Maine, and her son Max and his wife Deana and grandsons Alexander and Nikolas of Westford, MA. She is also survived by her sister Shirley's daughters Susan Taylor and Dr. Anne Gillberry and their families. Helen grew up in the outskirts of London during World War II. She attended boarding school at St. Christopher School, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, from age 11-17. In 1950 Helen attended Mrs. Hoster's Secretarial School in London, and went on to work in London at Unilever, The Imperial College of Science and Technology, and Longman's Green Publishers. She loved to travel and her favorite places included Austria, France, and Switzerland. In 1960, she travelled to Helsinki to work for a diplomat's wife and enjoyed the adventure of getting there and being in the land of the midnight sun for an entire year. This may be where she learned to make her famous Christmas bread. Encouraged by her parents, she voyaged by sea to the United States. She eventually moved to Boston and worked for the Harvard Graduate School of Education as the assistant to the Director of Student Teaching. It was during this time that she joined the Appalachian Mountain Club, participating in White Mountain hikes, including the 1968 winter hike of Mt Cardigan, NH, where she would meet her husband-to-be, Francois. Family legend says they met in a snowstorm and she shared a candy bar with him. Raising their children in New Hampshire and filling them with the spirit of adventure was a proud accomplishment of her life. Helen worked for many years at Digital Equipment Corp. and after her retirement she moved to Las Cruces, NM where she enjoyed trips to birdwatch at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, to White Sands NP, and shopping in Old Mesilla outside of Las Cruces. The family wishes to thank the loving caregivers at both Sunrise of Arlington and Seasons Hospice for the special care they provided, especially in the final months of her illness. A memorial service will be planned for a future date. Helen loved her canine companion, Anjou, very, very much. Donations may be made in Helen's name to the Petsmart Charities (an organization that

assists in the quality of life for companion animals), 19301 N 27th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85027.

Douglass Funeral Home

Lexington 781-862-1800

www.douglassfh.com