GLOUCESTER: Helen Scott (Ells) Klim, 83, died Thursday morning, April 11, 2013, at the Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following a brief illness. She was the wife of Charles J. Klim. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June.
Born in Cambridge on June 30, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Wilfred S. and Marjorie (Gustin) Ells. She attended public schools in Somerville and received her Bachelor’s degree Cum Laude from Emerson College in Boston in 1951 and her Master’s degree in Speech Pathology from Syracuse University.
She was employed as a Speech Pathologist in Manchester, Connecticut public schools, the Pittsburg Hearing Society and then for many years as a Speech Therapist in the Waltham public school system until her retirement in 1994.
Helen volunteered many hours for Emerson College and was a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award in 1995 for her many years of service. She was active in church committee work in the various communities where she lived throughout her life, and, since her retirement, at the Gloucester United Methodist Church.
Helen and her family traveled extensively on vacations, including Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia and Chile. She enjoyed skiing, hiking, walking and especially swimming. After her retirement she was a regular at the Gloucester YMCA aqua aerobics class until recently.
Having a great interest in design and fabrics, she was a wonderful seamstress and turned out fabulous clothing for her entire family. She also studied cake decorating, an endeavor enthusiastically supported by her whole family. She produced wedding cakes for many family members and friends.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Sarah, wife of Michael McCurry of Idaho, and two sons, David Klim, husband of Wendy Clark of Maine and Peter, husband of Andrea (Thibault) Klim of New Hampshire; three grandchildren, Kassidy and Ashlyn McCurry and Lauren Klim; a brother, James Ells; and three sisters, Doris, wife of Jack Donahue, Marjorie Flynn and Evelyn Whitehouse; and many nieces and nephews.
Her funeral service will be held on Tuesday morning in the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, Gloucester at 10 a.m. Visitation will be held on Monday from 5 – 7 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Interment will be held in the Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to the Emerson College Emerson Fund, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624 (www.emerson.edu).