Helen (Meehan) Millican

PEABODY - Helen M. Millican, 95, of Brooksby Village, Peabody, formerly of Lexington, beloved wife of the late Harold R. Millican died Wednesday, April 27, 2022. She was born in Somerville, MA to the late William and Myrna Meehan. She was raised in Lexington and attended the Lexington Public Schools and later Fisher Junior College. Mrs. Millican started swimming and teaching swim lessons at the Lexington Town pool as a teen.  Teaching swimming came naturally to her, and so she decided to teach swimming to the neighborhood kids in her backyard pool. Since her husband, Harold, was in the greenhouse business they decided to enclose the pool, so she could teach year-round. Thus, the Swim 90 program was born. Over 30 years, she taught thousands of children to swim, not just from Lexington, but neighboring towns as well. She never advertised her business, and everything was spread just by word of mouth. Swim 90 was her “baby” and she was the boss!

After a few years of retirement, Helen, and her husband Harold, decided to sell their Lexington home and move to Brooksby Village in Peabody. There she became very involved in the choir and then the on-site TV studio. She was seen as a producer of many shows. Her favorite personal project was Shelves of the Week, where she would highlight the shelves outside of residents’ homes. Beyond sharing the shelves, she loved having the opportunity to tell the stories of her neighbors and their lives. She loved the interactions with her Brooksby friends, who became like family. Her final tv series was the The Getting to Know You shows where she interviewed many of the people who worked at Brooksby, giving her a chance to get to know more about the inner workings of Brooksby Village. Until the end, she loved interviewing, understanding, and sharing more about this special community.

Her greatest accomplishment was her family. She leaves behind her daughter Carol (Jones) and her husband Rick of Simsbury, CT, daughter Brenda (Tully) and her husband Kenny of Winchester, MA and her son Carl and wife Lynda of Mesa, AZ.  Helen leaves behind 5 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 1 great, great granddaughter.

ARRANGEMENTS: Helen will be remembered by family and friends at her graveside service which will be held at the Westview Cemetery Lexington on Thursday, May 12 at 11 AM. Relatives and friends are invited. Assisting the family with arrangements is O’Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 167 Maple St., (Rte. 62) DANVERS. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com

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