Dr. Helen Tashjian

1926 - 2014

Dr. Helen E. Tashjian,

WEST BOYLSTON - Dr. Helen E. Tashjian, 88, of West Boylston passed away Tuesday, August 26 in UMASS Memorial Medical Center.

Doctor Tashjian was born in Worcester on May 31, 1926, daughter of Peter and Nora (Surabian) Tashjian and lived in Worcester until her family moved to West Boylston and built their home on Prospect Street.

Her brother, Edward Peter Tashjian, who worked on the family farm, Malden Brook Farm, which was recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture in 2000 as a Massachusetts Century Family Farm died January 25, 2000. She leaves her brother, Dr. Robert J. Tashjian still in clinical Veterinary Practice at the Robert J. Tashjian V.M.D. Animal Medical Center.

Helen was educated in West Boylston Public Schools, enrolled at Clark University as the first co-educational class and received a bachelor of Arts degree and then received a nursing degree from Yale University. Upon graduating Helen became a member of the teaching staff at Hahnemann Hospital and then joined the nursing faculty at New England Baptist Hospital for many years. Helen advanced her education at Boston University, where she received her Masters degree and a Doctor of Education degree in Nursing Education. She then became a professor and faculty member in the nursing skill of Indiana State University, Terra Haute, Indiana. Later, Doctor Tashjian returned to New England and accepted a faculty position at the School of Nursing, University of Maine and held nursing positions at the University of Hartford, Connecticut and at Becker College.

Doctor Tashjian retired from nursing and actively participated for many years with her brother Dr. Robert J. Tashjian, at the Animal Medical Center and the American Veterinary Medical Frontiers, a non-profit organization. She dedicated her nursing career and experiences to the mission of the horses and programs that have been part of Malden Brook Farms, LLC and the objectives of Veterinary Medicine, comparative medicine and the environment since these programs were initiated in 1974. This motivated Helen to put all her abilities to work to the last days of her life. She was a longtime member of the First Congregational Church.

A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, August 30 at 11:00 AM in the First Congregational Church, 26 Central Street. Burial will follow in Mt. Vernon Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Helen E. Tashjian Endowment Fund, 29 Prospect St., West Boylston, MA 01583 for the benefit of animals and animal research and the horses that she sponsored. Arrangements in the care of FAY BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 1 West Boylston Street.