Helen (Burns) Talberth

DANVERS - Helen Talberth, resident of Hathorne Hill, Danvers, passed away in the early morning hours of March 19th, 2023, just a few weeks shy of her 98th birthday.

Born Helen Arlene Burns on May 31st, 1925, in Hurricane (now Falmouth) Maine, she was the daughter of Gladys Leighton Burns and Kenneth Henry Burns. Her sister, Marie, was born in 1926.

After graduating from Falmouth High School, Helen embarked on a career as an executive secretary and administrative assistant, eventually becoming the executive secretary to Guy Gannett, then publisher of the Portland Press Herald.  It was there that she met Edward Davis Talberth, then Political Editor of the paper.  They married in May of 1955.

Helen & Ed left Portland and relocated to Chevy Chase, Maryland, for a brief time, where Helen worked for the Arab American Oil Company and Ed joined the Green Engineering firm, both in Washington, D.C. Soon thereafter, Ed was transferred to Boston.  They lived first in Belmont, where they welcomed their son, Kenneth, and subsequently in South Peabody and then West Peabody where their daughter, Lynda, was born.  Eventually they settled in Topsfield.

Helen volunteered at Steward Elementary School in a variety of positions and was a Cub Scout Den Mother and Brownie Den leader.  As a member of the Congregational Church of Topsfield, she was a Deaconess and, together with Ed, was president of the church’s Couples Club.

After Ed’s untimely death in 1968, Helen returned to work, first as a secretary at the Proctor Elementary School in Topsfield, then for the dental office of Dr. Kenneth Drizen, followed by many years with RCA in Burlington.  Helen finished her career at the Kaloust Agency, New England Life Insurance in Peabody, where she was executive secretary to Ed Kaloust. She retired in 1990.

During retirement, Helen parlayed her passion and skills in both sewing and cooking into second careers from home as a seamstress and alterations master and as a cake bake and decorator, providing clients and friends with beautiful, edible works of art.

Helen was blessed with a long, fulfilling life and those who loved her were blessed with so many years of her compassion, selflessness, encouragement, support, humor, elegance, style, creativity, and grace.

Helen is survived by her son, Kenneth, of New York City.  She was pre-deceased by her daughter Lynda in 2008 and her sister Marie Burns Bibber in 2020.

ARRANGEMENTS: A service of Thanksgiving for and celebration of the life of Helen Talberth will be held on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 at the Congregational Church of Topsfield, 9 East Common St., Topsfield at 11 A.M. Relatives and friends invited. Contributions in Helen’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, https://act.alz.org/donate Assisting the family with the 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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