Frances I. St. Helaire

Frances Irene St. Helaire (Upham), 87, of Petersham, MA, passed away on January 17, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Frances was born on April 16, 1937, in Hartford, CT to Charles F. Upham and Cecelia R. Upham (Laverty). The family moved to Petersham when Frances was young, and she was educated at the Petersham Center School. As was typical in the 1950s, Frances married young to her husband of 71 years, Edmund J. St. Helaire, in December 1953. Their first child was born in November 1954. It was important to Frances that she complete her education, and she made sure she did. She graduated high school from Petersham Center School, first in her class. 

Frances was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was predeceased by her loving parents, Cecelia in 1993, and Charles in 1997. She is survived by her husband Edmund J. St. Helaire; her five children Theresa DiMauro, Carol McAuliffe and her husband Michael McAuliffe, Edmund St. Helaire Jr. and his wife Chris St. Helaire, John St. Helaire and his wife Cathy St. Helaire, and Cecelia Moulton and her husband Michael Moulton; her five grandchildren Marci St. Helaire and her partner Shawn Engle, Carolyn Sault and her partner Wayne Sawyer, Jim Sault, Michael DiMauro, and Michelle Moulton; her two great-grandchildren Isla Sawyer and Greta Engle, and her closest friend Sheila Walker.

Frances was a homemaker and caregiver throughout her life. She couldn’t cook at all when she got married but quickly learned to prepare meals for her growing family. She was an accomplished baker, and we looked forward to getting home after school to learn what snack she had prepared for us, her chocolate chip cookies and whoopie pies being standouts. She and her mother Cecelia were such good bakers that the two of them made countless apple pies and their famous Swiss chocolate pie for the White Pillars restaurant in Petersham to include in the dessert menu. Frances absolutely loved to read. She had so many books that one of the upstairs bedrooms has been completely taken over with wall-to-wall bookshelves filled with her books. Learning from her mother, she was an accomplished knitter and tried her hand at sewing. She loved tending to her flower gardens around the house. Frances was deeply religious, attending mass regularly at her childhood church, St. Peter’s in Petersham, and then attending mass at Our Lady Immaculate in Athol, MA. She loved children and, to the end, contributed monthly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

While we feel her loss acutely, we are grateful and feel truly blessed to have had this beautiful, loving woman in our lives for as long as we did. We will miss her beautiful smile and her loving embrace. We are holding on to the countless memories of her, remembering her kindness, humor, and unconditional love. We take comfort in knowing that she is now at peace and reunited with her mother and father, and other loved ones. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Frances’ name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to Quabbin Valley Healthcare in Athol, MA.

A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady Immaculate, 192 School Street, Athol, MA on January 25, 2025 at 10:30 am followed by a celebration of life at American Legion, 40 Daniel Shays Hwy, Orange, MA. 

A burial will take place in the spring at East Street Cemetery in Petersham, MA.