Obituary: Thelma (Stensrud) Killam, 91, of Beverly

Thelma (Stensrud) Killam, 91, died peacefully, Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at her home with her family by her side. She was the beloved wife of the late Paul D. Killam who died on July 29, 1972.

Born in Salem on August 19, 1922, she was the daughter of the late Clarence and Elizabeth (Brown) Stensrud. She was raised in Swampscott and was a graduate of Swampscott High School class of 1940. She had also graduated from the Chandler Secretarial School in Boston. She had resided in Wenham for many years before moving to Beverly in 2002.

As a longtime resident of Wenham, Thelma was active in her community and a longtime member of the Christ Church in Hamilton, where she worked and taught Sunday school. She also volunteered, worked on the Altar Guild, became the first women Lay Minister and was an original organizer of S.A.M.S., the South American Missionary Society among other labors of love. A life member of the Mass. Audubon Society, she loved bird watching, gardening, reading, traveling and enjoyed volunteering. She more recently attended Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Danvers.

Thelma was once employed as a medical secretary for The Boston Lying-in Hospital and Salem Hospital for several years. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

She is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law, Linda K. Eldridge of Corinna, Maine and Sarah L. Killam and Gary Thomas of Beverly; seven grandchildren, Jeremy Eldridge, Joshua Eldridge, Jonas Eldridge and his wife, Crystle, Jared Eldridge, Sabrina Vaillancourt, Joseph Vaillancourt and Madeline Thomas; three great-grandchildren, Addison, Owen and Gage Eldridge and three nieces and a nephew. She was also predeceased by her brother, Gordon Stensrud.

A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, April 27th in Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church, 188 Elliott St., Danvers at 2:30 p.m. Interment will take place on Saturday April 26th in the Greenlawn Cemetery, Orne Street, Salem at 10:30 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. There are no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Perkins Talking Library, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472. Arrangements are under the direction of the Grondin Funeral Home, 376 Cabot St., Beverly.