In Loving Memory of Helen Rausser Gloor
January 19, 1928 – October 18, 2025
Helen Rausser Gloor of Billerica, Massachusetts, passed away in the early morning hours of October 18, 2025, at her daughter’s home, surrounded by loved ones after having the chance to say goodbye to family and friends. She was 97 years young — vibrant, creative, and deeply cherished until the very end.
Born in Muenchenbuchsee, Canton Bern, Switzerland, on January 19, 1928, Helen was the daughter of Fritz Rausser, a pastry and candy chef, and Helene Rausser-Winkler. She grew up in Bern, helping both with the family business and caring for her younger siblings, a role that nurtured her natural warmth and sense of responsibility. From an early age, her life danced to its own rhythm — she became a dance teacher and eventually opened her own studio, blending grace, discipline, and joy.
Helen married Max W. Gloor from Zurich, Switzerland, and together they relocated to the United States in 1960 with their two small children. Though the marriage ended, Helen built a beautiful life for her family in America, staying close to her children in every way possible. She was an attentive and loving mother who created a home filled with music, art, laughter, and adventure — whether camping, hiking, birdwatching, or simply sharing stories and songs.
Helen’s creative spirit was boundless. She taught recorder, and bamboo flute making and playing, nurturing both skill and imagination in her students. Later, she earned her Master of Education in Expressive Therapies from Lesley College and dedicated her career to helping adults with disabilities through the healing power of art and music. Ever curious and adaptable, she later mastered Computer Assisted Design (CAD), proving that her creativity could flourish through both brushstrokes and blueprints.
In her retirement, Helen continued to explore her artistic passions—quilting, stained glass, jewelry making, knitting, and painting—and shared her talents by volunteering to teach quilting at senior centers well into her later years. She loved to travel, to tend her garden, and to fill her home with classical music and friends. Her generosity, humor, and radiant smile touched everyone she met, and she inspired others to find beauty in the everyday.
Helen was predeceased by her ex-husband, Max Gloor, her brothers Edwin and Fernand (“Seppli”) Rausser and her sister Edith Bader, all of Switzerland. She leaves behind her two beloved children, Michael Gloor and his wife Thais of Burlington, MA, and Susanne Beeber and her husband Alan of Billerica, MA and her cherished grandsons, Matthias Gloor and Dylan Beeber.
She is also survived by her younger brother, Hans Rausser and his wife Jeanne of Bern, Switzerland, and her younger sister, Lisbeth Bernhardt, and her husband, Reto Bernhardt, of Rovello, Switzerland. Helen also leaves several nieces and nephews who loved her dearly: Jakob Bader and wife Lingga of Singapore; Kathrine Seibold-Bader of Thun, Switzerland, and her daughters Ramira and Soyomi; Rudolf (Ruedi) Bader of Basel; Andrea Joray-Bernhardt of Bern and her children Carla, Gian, and Luca; Vera Bernhardt and partner Sybill; and Kaspar Bernhardt, his wife Katarina and their daughters, Lena, Milla, and Paula of Basel, Switzerland.
A memorial service celebrating Helen’s life will be held at the First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist, 7 Concord Road, Billerica, Massachusetts, on November 1, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Helen’s memory are welcome to support the
Seddon Lab Macular Degeneration Center of Excellence at the UMass Chan Medical School. To donate: Click Here
Helen’s life was a work of art — painted with courage, music, laughter, and love. She will be remembered always for the light she shared, the beauty she created, and the love she gave so freely.