Thelma Margaret Dykens

September 6, 1924 - August 7, 2025
Chatham, MA —It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Thelma Margaret Dykens (née Bell) on August 7, 2025. In Thelma’s words, she lived to be “100 years young.” 
Known to many as “Grammy”, Thelma was born in Petite Rivière, Nova Scotia Canada, on September 6, 1924. Thelma delighted in annually visiting her homestead in Nova Scotia with her daughters Amy and Elisabeth and their families. Much of Thelma’s spunky, direct style, her wry sense of humor, and her adage that “It is what it is” can all be attributed to her Nova Scotian roots.
   Trained at Worcester City Hospital as a Registered Nurse, where she met her husband, Dr. James Dykens, Thelma was valedictorian of her class.  Throughout her life, Thelma offered her (at times unsolicited) medical opinions with others, and she was remarkably accurate in diagnosing various ailments in her children and grandchildren. And her customary advice for medications was “if one is good, sometimes two is better.” 
Thelma was a life-long liberal and Democrat who railed against social injustices. Every day, she proudly wore her Ruth Bader Ginsburg pin and faithfully watched the Rachel Maddow Show--if we called during the show she would cut us off with, “I can’t talk now, Rachel is waiting for me.”
An avid reader and listener of audiobooks in her later years, Thelma enjoyed discussing books and current events, and was an engaging and responsive conversationalist. She genuinely wanted to get to know others. Thelma thus made many dear, long-term friends from where she lived and raised her family in Sherborn, MA, Concord NH, Northampton, MA, and Chatham, MA. In her later years, Thelma continued to make new friends wherever she went…on her many trips abroad, at the Chatham Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at Chatham’s Park Place, and most recently, among the nurses and aides at the Liberty Commons nursing home. Indeed, Liberty Commons staff described Thelma as a smart, caring friend who brightened their days and made them laugh.
Thelma was the family matriarch of 6 children, 11 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. Her children include Nancy (m. Sean O’Neil, children Catherine and Amy); James (child Katie Quinn); Jeffrey (m. Julie Eldredge, children Andrew, Abigail, Joshua); Elisabeth (m. Robert Hodapp, children Alexander and Benjamin); Jonathan (m. Jennifer Towner, child Cora); and Amy (children Charles and James Kiernan).  Thelma also leaves her dear friend and companion Robyn Michaels, a gift to the entire Dykens family.  Thelma’s family and friends surrounded her with “love that I can really feel.” When we sent our love over the phone, she’d say “don’t hug me too hard, you might break my ribs.”
Thelma is preceded in death by her loving husband of 54 years, James Warren Dykens, M.D., her sister Virginia Osborn, brother Charles Bell, father Percy Archibald Bell and mother Cora May Bell (née Heckman).
A service celebrating Thelma’s life will be held on August 23rd, 3:00 pm, at the Chatham Unitarian Universalist Meeting House. A reception immediately following the service will be held at the Chatham Creative Arts Center, 154 Crowell Rd, Chatham, MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Thelma’s honor can be sent to The Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 819 Main St., Chatham, MA 02633 https://www.uumh.net/.
For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com