This Thanksgiving, she'll celebrate her 80th with a skate
Helen Sheridan plans to celebrate her 80th birthday on Thanksgiving by roller-skating for her nine children, 16 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
''When I was young, I would skate every hour that I could," said the Natick woman, who got her first pair of roller skates as a Christmas gift when she was in eighth grade. ''They were really fancy, with toe clips that were made to look like race car fenders."
She last brought out the skates when she turned 75. The family was sprawled out in the living room recovering from Thanksgiving dinner when she announced she needed some exercise and proceeded to lace up.
Skating doesn't just bring back childhood memories for Sheridan; it also recalls a time on the rink during World War II when she learned how her husband-to-be was faring on the other side of the globe.
Sheridan grew up in the Roxbury section of Boston. She met her future husband when she was 13 and he was 15 and living up the street. Three years later, he went off to war with the Marines and asked her to wait for his return.
Joseph Sheridan, who died last year, served with the 1st Marine Division. The couple kept up a steady correspondence the three years they were apart. One day, when Helen was at the local skating rink, a Marine came in wearing a 1st Division patch on his shirt. ''He said he had just gotten back from Guadalcanal -- where Joseph had been involved with its invasion -- and that the division was headed to Australia." Joseph was shocked when the next letter he received from Helen asked if he was near Ballarat, a small city northwest of Melbourne; indeed, he was. In 1944, he was wounded in battle in New Britain and returned to the United States with a Purple Heart, having lost an arm and part of his leg. He and Helen married nine months later. Nearly all their nine children went into public service.
''I think it's a reflection of [my mother's] values, the way she brought us up," said 43-year-old James Sheridan, a Natick Fire Department captain. ''When I was a little kid, she once said to me, 'If you're ever feeling bad about something, do something nice for someone else and it'll make you feel good again.' It's been true my whole life."
Helen Sheridan also taught her children self-respect and determination: When Joseph Jr., the youngest, entered kindergarten, she went back to school -- keeping a vow she'd made when the children were babies. Eight years later she graduated from Framingham State College with a degree in psychology.
The Sheridan children also learned about helping others from their father, who cofounded the Amputee Veterans of America in Natick.
''It was emotionally uncomfortable for the guys returning from the war to go to a normal beach," said daughter Barbara Pratt. ''They were missing limbs, and people would stare. Dad and his buddies got together and acquired a piece of land . . . where amputees could swim and bring their families."
In 1957, with Frank Robinson of the Natick Recreation Department, he started Camp Arrowhead in Natick for handicapped children. ''Dad and his buddies ran it free of charge for many, many years," said Pratt. ''It's on Joseph Sheridan Way, which was dedicated to him in the spring of 2001 by the Marines Corps in Natick." The town has since taken it over.
Pratt said when her younger sister Maggie returned home from a counselor orientation session at Camp Arrowhead she said she just couldn't do it. ''We asked her why not, and she answered, 'I'm just not comfortable around disabled people' -- and there was dad sitting in a wheelchair with no arm and half a leg! She didn't see him as disabled."
Years later, Joseph Sheridan wound up fighting another battle, against Alzheimer's disease. The ordeal brought the Sheridan family even closer together. ''We came to realize what a good team we are," said Pratt. ''All nine of us had a role so that we could free mom up to take care of dad 100 percent of the time." Sheridan says that each of her children has a specialty. ''They'll nudge the other and say, 'That's your department.' "
Sheridan draws a lot of strength from her faith. Since the closing of St. James parish in Wellesley, she has attended St. Julia's in Weston every Saturday. ''The pastor there started his career as a priest at St. James, so it's like one of my kids being there."
Sheridan loves Christmas and has been collecting creches for 61 years. She has more than 200 creches from all over the world, ranging in size from 2 inches to 2 feet tall. Sheridan and Pratt spent last week at the National Convention of the Friends of the Creche in Santa Fe. The entire collection comes out every Thanksgiving -- this year, along with the skates.
THE HOLY BOOK OF TURKEY -- Since 1970, Bob Sylvester has cooked more than 7,000 Thanksgiving dinners for Westborough seniors. He begins the day at 4 a.m., preparing for the 200 meals that will be served each year. ''By 7 a.m., I have 90 pounds of potatoes cooked," said the 68-year-old Westborough native and resident.
Nearly every church and synagogue in town takes a turn organizing the day that has been held at the Westborough Knights of Columbus for the past 35 years. ''A big fat notebook called 'The Holy Book of Turkey' gets passed along to the host congregation that includes notes from the previous year's coordinators," said Judy Powell, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregational Society. ''This year it's on my desk -- it's a daunting task that requires a lot of support."
The Westborough Interfaith Clergy Association coordinates the event, and with about 10 houses of worship participating, it's a 10-year rotation.
Roughly 1,300 invitations go out each year to local senior citizens. ''The list is cross-checked by the town clerk and a representative from the Senior Center to make sure the folks are still in town. Then the Westborough UPS store sends them out gratis," said Powell. Some 150 guests eat at the Knights of Columbus on Thanksgiving Day, and another 50 ask that their meals be delivered to their homes. ''This is community at its very best, and Bob Sylvester is at its nexus," said Powell.
''The event has nothing to do with finances," said Sylvester. ''It's something that we as a community do for the elderly."
Since the age of 33, Sylvester has been at the helm of the kitchen. ''It's been my favorite day of the year."
He knows something about depending on the kindness of strangers.
When Sylvester's parent's divorced, he and his sister were sent to live on the Heath family farm. ''Elmer and Gertrude Heath took in [ward of the state] kids -- there were probably seven of us there."
He learned to cook as a Boy Scout, traveling across the country during summers as a camp leader.
Sylvester worked as a shipper for most of his 40-year career at Bay State Abrasives in Westborough. His wife, Anna, is from Rome. They met thanks to relatives who visited and decided to play matchmaker. Sylvester took a chance on their recommendation and flew to Rome; two weeks later he was married. ''I've been married to her for 40 years, so it worked out all right," Sylvester said, adding that they have a son, 33, and a daughter, 36. Most years, she's at his side helping prepare Thanksgiving dinner.
Westborough seniors interested in attending the Thanksgiving meal or receiving a hot turkey dinner delivered to their home may call Powell at 508-898-9895.
AROUND THE TOWNS --The Marlborough Lions Club hosted a 5K Walk/Run last Sunday to benefit Bau Vuong of Marlborough and her five daughters. Vuong lost her husband and another daughter in a car accident last summer. The Community that Cares benefit drew 300 participants and netted $17,000. It was spearheaded by Randy Scott, owner of The Main Street Cafe . . . Ann Willever has been named the minister of religious education at the First Universalist Society in Franklin. She and her husband, Jake Jacobson, live in Norfolk. . . . John Hailer of Sherborn has been elected chairman of the board of directors at The Home for Little Wanderers. . . . Elaine J. Eisenman of Wellesley has been appointed dean of the Babson College business school's executive education program.
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