Sunday, April 24, 2022
Helen, a lovely strong, religious and high ethics person who cared about those around her. Her dry wit sometimes flew past some people but she and I understood and always laughed. For the five years after she lost her beloved David, I would call her 6 out of 7 evenings and we would chat for about 10 minutes. I always had to call before her 8:00pm bedtime and as time went by before 7:00 so she could watch Jeopardy. I always had to explain why I would miss a night as she expected my call. At first our chats were sad because we both lost our beloved husbands in the same year. We leaned on and propped up each other. Then our chats over time evolved into good memories and laughter. Our chats ceased when she went into the hospital and had no phone. She didn’t like cell phones. I am 1,000 miles away on Amelia Island FL so our communication was severed. Even after these months I sometimes felt “I have to call Helen”….. but then I know there was no way. It took a while to adjust to no nightly calls…. Even though she constantly repeated herself and gave me “old news”. I knew she was alone in her house (which was her choice) and sometimes I would be the only one she spoke to in slivers of time. Helen said she missed her friends who had either passed or moved, was lonely without those and her love David (her words: “He was a good man”). She loved and was so proud of her family from daughter to grand children to great grand children. Yes, sometimes she could appear to be rigid (stubborn) but she was actually a real softie. ….. Deeply religious, Helen was sad when she could not walk well enough to go to church so watched services on TV. Then Covid kicked in and her cable company dropped her Sunday service program. She was sad but still prayed daily. Part of her joy was when some of her students from many years past would communicate whether email, snail mail card, rare visits or phone. It was then that she knew she had made a difference in the lives of her “little people”. She looked forward to paying $3 weekly to the little boy across the street who daily brought her mail and paper to her door. He always brought a smile to her heart.
, Helen has now moved on to join David but she improved this world through her love for her students year after year. She will always be alive in the hearts of those she ushered along in life…… students and family. I am ever so grateful that she was in my life…. And I miss our chats, I miss HELEN……
