Helen Wilson Collins

Helen W. Collins, 80, longtime resident of Stoneham, formerly of Scotland, passed away October 5, 2018.  Beloved wife of the late Robert B. Collins.  Helen was born in Bannockburn, Scotland and raised in Edinburgh, she was the daughter of the late William and Anne (Reed) Hislop.

Proud of her heritage, she remained a citizen of Scotland despite living in the U.S. for most of her life.  She maintained strong ties to her homeland, alternately visiting or hosting family and childhood friends each year.  Helen attended the Mary Erskine School for Girls in Edinburgh where she met many of her lifelong friends.  Following graduation, at the age of 23, she ventured to the U.S. and worked as a nanny for a Bostonian family.  Not long after, several classmates came over to join her.  Together they rented an apartment, found employment and discovered Boston’s social life. It was at the Old South Church Young Singles Club that Helen met her future husband Bob.  Each year, this original group of friends continued to get together on New Year’s Day.

Helen and Bob raised their family in Stoneham    Widowed when her children were young, Helen ensured that Neal and Heather still had the advantages and opportunities to experience all that life had to offer. They traveled throughout Europe and explored nearly every U.S. state by camper and enjoyed countless winters skiing at Loon Mountain. What’s more, Helen, a single parent, was determined to see her children graduate  from college.

Helen was a Girl Guide/Girl Scout for more than 70  years. As a Girl Scout   leader, she once traveled across the country by R/V with six Girl Scouts, two leaders and her children.  She loved to ski and play tennis, and excelled at teaching both sports.   A generous host, she invited many families to enjoy ski weekends and school vacations at her Loon Mountain condominium.    She was a magnificent and talented knitter- the more challenging the pattern, the more eager she was to knit it.  She loved to share her talent and held knitting classes where participants became a close group of friends.  Helen also treasured the friendships forged in both her book club and tennis club. Helen was an active and faithful member of the First Congregational Church of Stoneham, serving as a Deaconess for many years.
Once her kids were off to college, she was employed as an executive assistant for Slade Gorton and then VOLT. She traveled far and often to watch her daughter play volleyball in college and afterwards, including multiple Open National Volleyball Tournaments throughout the US.  More recently, she loved spending her weekends watching her grandkids on the volleyball court, soccer field, basketball court or baseball diamond.  She would always be on the bleachers or on the sidelines watching while working on her current knitting project.

She was the cherished mother of Neal Collins and his wife Georgia of Swampscott and Heather Houde and her husband Scott of Ayer; the wonderful “Granny” to Robert, Cailidh and Alison Houde, Jake and Dean Collins. Also survived by her sisters-in-law  None Hislop of Scotland, Carolyn Gaffney of ME and FL, Nancy Maidrand of MA and Charlotte Collins of NY; brother-in-law Neil Collins of VA, many  nieces and nephews.  She was the sister of the late James  Hislop and David Hislop.

Funeral Service to be held Monday, October 15 ^th at 2 P.M. at First Congregational Church, 1 Church St., Stoneham.  Visitation: Sunday, October 14 ^th , 2-6 P.M. at Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home, 4 Common St., Stoneham.   Private interment at Cathedral of the Pines, NH.  Expressions of sympathy may be made in Helen’s memory to Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, 420 Boylston St., Suite 505, Boston, MA 02116 or Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.