Elsie Martha Wallace

Elsie Martha Wallace, age 85, proud resident of Stoneham, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 5th.

She was born in Medford on February 19th, 1940 as the second daughter of the late Werner and Signe (Lindgren) Erickson. Raised in Stoneham, she graduated from Stoneham High School in the Class of 1958. Her leadership and love for community service were developed in her high school years as a member of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.

Elsie devotedly and passionately served the Town of Stoneham in numerous ways. She was on a wide variety of committees around town, such as the Town Common Oversight Committee. Her attention to detail and moral character led her to many opportunities to serve as well. She was a member of the board of directors at the Stoneham Savings Bank which was acquired by Salem Five where she was also a director. She was President and a director for the Fuller House of Stoneham for many years.

She worked as an administrator for the Town of Stoneham Retirement Board for over 26 years. After retiring from that role, she continued on as a board member for the retirement board of Stoneham. She was very proud of the work she did and was honored to have received the John Carol Award by the M.A.C.R.S. for years of outstanding work for Stoneham. She was very active with M.A.C.R.S and enjoyed chairing workshops on retirement administration.

Elsie was an active member at the First Congregational Church of Stoneham. She served many roles such as Sunday School Teacher, Deacon, and President of the Steeple Fund.

Elsie enjoyed wonderful summers with her family and friends at her second home in Naples, Maine, where they made lasting memories on Sebago Lake. In addition to this she travelled with her family to places such as Sweden, Bermuda, and Hawaii and especially loved cruises.

Elsie is survived and forever adored by her husband, Richard Wallace. In her 1958 yearbook, Elsie wrote that she was “happiest when with Richard,” this is a fact that remained true throughout her life. Married in 1963 they recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

She was the loving mother of William Wallace and his wife Alison of Franklin and Scott Wallace and his wife Dawn of Tewksbury. She was the loving grandmother (Grammy) of Emily, Evan, Alyssa and Nadia Wallace to whom she passed down her love for her Swedish heritage, culture, and traditions.

She is predeceased by her sister Marianne and her husband Gordon Doucette of Woburn. She is the sister-in-law of Hazel and her late husband Arthur Pickett of North Reading. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Her Funeral Service will be held in the First Congregational Church of Stoneham, 1 Church Street, Stoneham on Saturday, December 13 at 10am. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald-Finnegan-Anderson Funeral Home, 322 Main Street, Stoneham on Friday, December 12 from 4-7pm. Interment, Lindenwood Cemetery, Stoneham. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either the Fuller House of Stoneham, 32 Franklin St, Stoneham, MA 02180 or to the First Congregational Church of Stoneham.