Sentence:  an Irish section boss, whose wife (my mother having <WSD>befriended</WSD> her years before when first she and her husband came to Sullivan) had now, at the time my mother was compelled to make this return pilgrimage, <WSD>befriended</WSD> us by letting us stay - mother and us three youngsters - until she could find a house. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To act as a friend to, to assist.