Obituary for Helen Frances Schatvet Ullmann
Helen Frances Schatvet Ullmann, 83, died at home surrounded by family on October 9, 2021, in Acton, MA after a long illness.
Helen was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 30, 1937, to Charles Einar Schatvet and Marjorie Stevens Schatvet. The family moved to Darien, Connecticut, when she was a young child. She grew up listening to the gentle waves of Long Island Sound, practicing the piano, reading Nancy Drew mysteries, attending the Noroton Presbyterian Church, accruing fond memories of sailing on her father’s boat, the Lovely Lady, and spending summers at Camp Arcadia in Casco, ME.
An endlessly curious lover of learning, she earned her BA in History from Mount Holyoke College in 1959, and later continued with an MA in Literature from Northwestern University in 1969, while raising two children. She met Laurence (“Laurie”) Ullmann, a student of Physics at Amherst, at a college mixer where they were paired up by height, and married him on August 29, 1959 in Darien, CT. Together they shared a love of the outdoors and went canoe camping for their honeymoon at the Rangely Lakes in Maine.
They would also come to share a love and commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which they joined in 1968. This community and faith would offer Helen a new outlet and spiritual purpose for her interests: she would serve as president of the local Relief Society (women’s association), become the organist for her ward for many years, and channel her love of history and solving mysteries into the pursuit of genealogy, which also bore a spiritual mission for temple work in the church.
This began a lengthy, accomplished, and distinguished career. Helen became a member of the New England Historical Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in 1968, for which she would later serve on the Council, and a Certified Genealogist in 1990, specializing in Southern New England and Norwegian research. She has published some twenty books and hundreds of articles. Her first major book, Descendants of Peter Mills of Windsor, Connecticut, published in 1998, won the Donald Lines Jacobus Award, one of many awards she would come to receive for her steadfast work. She also served as editor in numerous capacities, such as for the NEHGS Register and the Connecticut Nutmegger. In 2005, she was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, an honor she was thrilled to accept, and which was well-deserved. Her fellow genealogists have described her as “a selfless and gracious colleague, and a tenacious and perceptive researcher.”
Her family has many memories of her spending countless hours immersed in her work, listening to Bach and Mozart, the dining room converted to an office strewn with piles of research, and the walls adorned with the photographs of ancestors looking on. When not working, she could be found keeping her mind sharp with crossword puzzles and sudoku, reading mystery novels, studying Norwegian, going out for her daily walks, or working in her abundant garden. Her children have fond memories of washing and snapping her green beans, watching her weed amongst the marigolds, and “helping” by eating one too many strawberries fresh off the runners. While never a huge fan of domesticity, Helen took pride in practicality and getting things done. She learned skills in sewing, cleaning, and cooking, which she passed on to her children, and often found ways to make them fun and worthwhile. Her children enjoyed baking Christmas cookies, making their own dresses, and earning allowance by folding laundry. She has also accompanied her family on many travel adventures: camping and hiking out west, visiting old family homesteads and dodging trolls in Norway, and exploring Mayan ruins in Mexico and Belize.
Helen was always one to appreciate her independence, ability to pursue her own interests and education, work ethic, and capacity to know her own mind, and she instilled these values and opportunities in her children. She encouraged them to pursue what they loved and to think for themselves, providing both financial and moral support, and believing they could accomplish great things, even if their paths differed from her own. Throughout hard times, she was ever thankful for the beauty of the earth and for all she had, and she never wavered in her loyalty to her work, faith, and family.
Helen is survived by her loving husband, Laurence Emery Ullmann of Acton, MA and three daughters and their families: Margaret E. and Roger Layton of Springville, UT (and grandson Jack), Linda S. Ullmann of Stoneham, MA, and Maryann M. Ullmann and Juan Ricardo Romero Ruiz of Cranston, RI. She is also survived by her brother, John D. Schatvet of Topsham, ME, and three nieces (Tracey, Sandy, and Lillan). Helen is predeceased by her son, Robert L. Ullmann, and her brother, Charles E. Schatvet, Jr.
There will be a memorial service held on Saturday, October 16 at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Littleton, MA with a reception immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to The Friends of Nashoba Nursing Service & Hospice, www.nashoba.org/resources, due to their exceptional kindness and support.
Memorial page actonfuneralhome.com
Helen was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 30, 1937, to Charles Einar Schatvet and Marjorie Stevens Schatvet. The family moved to Darien, Connecticut, when she was a young child. She grew up listening to the gentle waves of Long Island Sound, practicing the piano, reading Nancy Drew mysteries, attending the Noroton Presbyterian Church, accruing fond memories of sailing on her father’s boat, the Lovely Lady, and spending summers at Camp Arcadia in Casco, ME.
An endlessly curious lover of learning, she earned her BA in History from Mount Holyoke College in 1959, and later continued with an MA in Literature from Northwestern University in 1969, while raising two children. She met Laurence (“Laurie”) Ullmann, a student of Physics at Amherst, at a college mixer where they were paired up by height, and married him on August 29, 1959 in Darien, CT. Together they shared a love of the outdoors and went canoe camping for their honeymoon at the Rangely Lakes in Maine.
They would also come to share a love and commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which they joined in 1968. This community and faith would offer Helen a new outlet and spiritual purpose for her interests: she would serve as president of the local Relief Society (women’s association), become the organist for her ward for many years, and channel her love of history and solving mysteries into the pursuit of genealogy, which also bore a spiritual mission for temple work in the church.
This began a lengthy, accomplished, and distinguished career. Helen became a member of the New England Historical Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in 1968, for which she would later serve on the Council, and a Certified Genealogist in 1990, specializing in Southern New England and Norwegian research. She has published some twenty books and hundreds of articles. Her first major book, Descendants of Peter Mills of Windsor, Connecticut, published in 1998, won the Donald Lines Jacobus Award, one of many awards she would come to receive for her steadfast work. She also served as editor in numerous capacities, such as for the NEHGS Register and the Connecticut Nutmegger. In 2005, she was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, an honor she was thrilled to accept, and which was well-deserved. Her fellow genealogists have described her as “a selfless and gracious colleague, and a tenacious and perceptive researcher.”
Her family has many memories of her spending countless hours immersed in her work, listening to Bach and Mozart, the dining room converted to an office strewn with piles of research, and the walls adorned with the photographs of ancestors looking on. When not working, she could be found keeping her mind sharp with crossword puzzles and sudoku, reading mystery novels, studying Norwegian, going out for her daily walks, or working in her abundant garden. Her children have fond memories of washing and snapping her green beans, watching her weed amongst the marigolds, and “helping” by eating one too many strawberries fresh off the runners. While never a huge fan of domesticity, Helen took pride in practicality and getting things done. She learned skills in sewing, cleaning, and cooking, which she passed on to her children, and often found ways to make them fun and worthwhile. Her children enjoyed baking Christmas cookies, making their own dresses, and earning allowance by folding laundry. She has also accompanied her family on many travel adventures: camping and hiking out west, visiting old family homesteads and dodging trolls in Norway, and exploring Mayan ruins in Mexico and Belize.
Helen was always one to appreciate her independence, ability to pursue her own interests and education, work ethic, and capacity to know her own mind, and she instilled these values and opportunities in her children. She encouraged them to pursue what they loved and to think for themselves, providing both financial and moral support, and believing they could accomplish great things, even if their paths differed from her own. Throughout hard times, she was ever thankful for the beauty of the earth and for all she had, and she never wavered in her loyalty to her work, faith, and family.
Helen is survived by her loving husband, Laurence Emery Ullmann of Acton, MA and three daughters and their families: Margaret E. and Roger Layton of Springville, UT (and grandson Jack), Linda S. Ullmann of Stoneham, MA, and Maryann M. Ullmann and Juan Ricardo Romero Ruiz of Cranston, RI. She is also survived by her brother, John D. Schatvet of Topsham, ME, and three nieces (Tracey, Sandy, and Lillan). Helen is predeceased by her son, Robert L. Ullmann, and her brother, Charles E. Schatvet, Jr.
There will be a memorial service held on Saturday, October 16 at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Littleton, MA with a reception immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to The Friends of Nashoba Nursing Service & Hospice, www.nashoba.org/resources, due to their exceptional kindness and support.
Memorial page actonfuneralhome.com