Helen L (Degnan) Severin

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Helen L. (Degnan) Severin, age 98, formerly of Yarmouthport, Naples and Needham passed away peacefully on April 25, 2024. Helen was born on March 21, 1926, and grew up in Jamaica Plain. She met her husband Arthur in grade school and they were happily married for 56 years. Helen was proud to be referred to as “the matriarch” and always said how grateful she was for the wonderful family she was blessed with. She went dancing every Saturday night with her husband, and loved singing. Music was the language of her soul. She appreciated humor which is why she got along so well with Arthur. She enjoyed gardening and would spend hours in the yard. Additionally, she always had a houseful of plants and had secrets to making them grow, bloom and remain healthy. 

Helen had a real zest for life. She was feisty and was not afraid of anything. As a child of the depression she worked hard as a legal secretary all her life. Together with her husband they built and acquired several homes and spent many winters in Naples, Florida and summers in East Dennis, MA.

She was a dedicated and devoted mother to her four children: Barbara Hughes of Newport, RI, Stephen Severin and his wife Suzanne of Amherst, Paul Severin and his wife Rose of Lincoln, RI, and Catherine Menchin and her husband, Keith, of Needham. She was a loving grandmother to 10 grandchildren, Katie, Rob, Amy, Joseph, David, Ryan, Matthew, Shannon, Kelly and Cara, and 6 great grandchildren. 

Funeral from The Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre St. West Roxbury on Tuesday April 30, at 9:00 am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Theresa of Avila Chapel at 10:00 am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours in the funeral home on Monday April 29, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Interment in The Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne at 2:00 pm.