Obituary

MARGARET HELBURN
BRADFORD, VT. - Margaret Helburn, 92, died Monday, May 23, 2005, at her home in Bradford. The eldest daughter of William Allan Neilson, president of Smith College, she graduated from the College of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts. She purchased and operated a full-scale farm in the Berkshires until World War II. She was married to Peter Helburn, moved to the Boston area, and had three children and a succession of border collies and farm animals. Mrs. Helburn's empathy with animals led her to become a 4-H inspector, checking the housing conditions for animals managed by local 4-H children. She assisted the Tufts School of Medicine in a project studying the relationship between breathing disorders in horses and humans by boarding the horses, administering treatment plans and documenting observations. She moved to the Upper Valley to be close to her children. She pursued a life centered on animals, the outdoors and good walks. She is survived by her three children, Jean Townsend of Milton, Vt., Tom Helburn of North Carolina and Ann Stephens of West Fairlee; and four grandchildren.

MARGARET HELBURN

BRADFORD, VT. - Margaret Helburn, 92, died Monday, May 23, 2005, at her home in Bradford.
The eldest daughter of William Allan Neilson, president of Smith College, she graduated from the College of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts. She purchased and operated a full-scale farm in the Berkshires until World War II. She was married to Peter Helburn, moved to the Boston area, and had three children and a succession of border collies and farm animals. Mrs. Helburn's empathy with animals led her to become a 4-H inspector, checking the housing conditions for animals managed by local 4-H children.
She assisted the Tufts School of Medicine in a project studying the relationship between breathing disorders in horses and humans by boarding the horses, administering treatment plans and documenting observations.
She moved to the Upper Valley to be close to her children. She pursued a life centered on animals, the outdoors and good walks.
She is survived by her three children, Jean Townsend of Milton, Vt., Tom Helburn of North Carolina and Ann Stephens of West Fairlee; and four grandchildren.