Helena E. Maguire

Helena E. (Farren) Maguire, a longtime resident of Norwell and a former elementary school teacher in Pembroke, died Monday at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, after a long illness. She was 84. Mrs. Maguire was born in Boston and raised in the Neponset neighborhood of Dorchester, where she attended St. Anns School. During her high school years, she attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton, and upon graduation, she continued her education at Simmons College in Boston, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics in 1950. Following graduation, Mrs. Maguire joined the U.S. Public Health Service. Over the next five years, she served as a dietician in various Veterans Administration hospitals along the east coast of the United States, including those in Savannah, Ga., Washington DC, Baltimore, Md., Staten Island, N.Y., and Jamaica Plain. In 1955, Mrs. Maguire left the U.S. Public Health Service to get married and start a family of her own. However, after her children were grown and in school, she returned to the work force, this time as an elementary school teacher. Beginning in 1966, Mrs. Maguire served as a second grade teacher in the town of Pembroke public school system. For much of her career, she worked in an open classroom at the Center School alongside her colleague, Ms. Lynne Palavanchi; and during the latter stage of her career, she worked in a single classroom at the Bryantville Elementary School. Mrs. Maguire retired in 1989, having taught an entire generation of students the love of learning. Mrs. Maguire was a lifetime learner herself. During her teaching career, she continued her coursework on a part-time basis at Bridgewater State College, where she received a Master of Science degree in Library Science. She was also an avid reader on a wide variety of subjects, and took pleasure in cooking, gardening, traveling, and home decorating. Mrs. Maguire had lived in Norwell since 1966, where she was a member of St. Helens Catholic Church; she had previously lived in Braintree for sixteen years. Among those who knew her, Mrs. Maguire will be remembered for her affable demeanor, her generous spirit, her fine sense of humor, and her steadfast devotion to her family. She will be deeply missed. Mrs. Maguire is survived by two sons, C. David Maguire of Norwell and Paul Maguire of Norwell; a sister, Jean M. Huber of Cornelius, N.C.; two grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Mrs. Maguire was the wife of the late Charles F. Maguire; the daughter of the late Daniel H. and Kathleen E. (Galvin) Farren; and the sister of the late Donald H. Farren. A funeral Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, at St. Helens Catholic Church, 383 Washington Street, Norwell. Burial will be in Washington Street Cemetery, Norwell. Funeral arrangements were made by the Sullivan Funeral Home, 551 Washington Street, Rte. 53, in Hanover, but visiting hours prior to the service were private. Donations in the memory of Mrs. Maguire may be made to St. Helens Catholic Church, 383 Washington Street, Norwell, 02061. For directions and our online guest book, visit SullivanFuneralHomes.com. Sullivan Funeral Homes 781-878-0920, 781-293-2020 Family Owned & Operated Since 1897