Helen T. Allison

Helen T. Allison died peacefully on February 7, 2010, at Avery Manor in Needham, surrounded by her family. She was 89 years old. She was born in Wellesley in 1920, the daughter of Harry B. and Helen Hood Taplin. After graduating from Wellesley High School, she attended the Northfield School and Boston University. In 1942, she married her high school sweetheart, William H. Allison. Throughout her life she was active in church and school activities, first in Natick and then in Wellesley. She was the President of the Friends of the Wellesley Free Library, and a trustee of the Hillside School in Marlborough, Massachusetts. For 50 years, she was an active member of the Village Church in Wellesley. She was a steadfast member of the choir, and was involved in the churchs many philanthropic endeavors. She was an avid athlete and traveler. At Wellesley High School, she was a member of the varsity tennis team. She was a longstanding member of the Vorlage Ski Club of West Woodstock, Vermont. In 1960, she guided her family on a camping trip across America. She travelled throughout Europe, and in 1988 took a trip to China that she described as life-changing. Her life was defined by two major causes: civil rights and feminism. She also gave generous help to many friends at the end of their lives. She is survived by her husband; her son Robert, of Sudbury, Massachusetts; her son Edward and his wife Carolyn, of Seattle, Washington; her daughter Lucille Kennedy and her husband John, of St. Paul, Minnesota; her son Blake and his wife Lindsay, of Cambridge, Massachusetts; her grandchildren Anne B. Allison, James R. Allison, Jake M. Allison, Mitchell N. Allison, William B. Kennedy, Daniel C. Kennedy, Katharine Morgan Herman, and Samuel B. Allison; and her great-grandchildren Dylan and Jack Herman; her brother, Franklin Taplin; her sister-in law, Virginia B. Taplin; and eight nieces and nephews. A service to celebrate her long and full life was held on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at 2 p.m. at the Village Church in Wellesley. Contributions in her name may be made to the Hillside School, 404 Robin Hill Road, Marlborough, MA (www.hillsideschool.net). Arrangements have been entrusted to the J. S. Waterman & Sons-Waring Funeral Home, 592 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482. www.jswaterman.com.