Dolores Helvy Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

You are about to meet our mother, Paul's wife, and Drew and Adam's Yum Yum. Mother was a vivacious, gregarious, and beautiful woman, who lit up a room with her presence and her laugh. A woman who loved the Lord and enjoyed helping others. She was born on September 20, 1921 and lived to be 91, going on 92. She was always proud to tell her age for her lovely face never told its years. Her last day with us was December 11, 2012. Mother was born in Cranberry, a small coal mining town in Raleigh County, to Jack and Dolores Garcia, Spanish immigrants who later became naturalized citizens. Mother was Dorothy to her family and to her husband. She was the oldest daughter, and the second of six spirited, fun loving, and creative children. Mother was proud of being a coal miner's daughter and lived most of her growing years in Minden, a coal mining and very unique community in Fayette County, where she worked in the Company Store. It was in Minden that she met and fell in love with Paul Helvy, who had moved to West Virginia from eastern Kentucky when his father was made Superintendent of the mine. They courted Spanish style and were always chaperoned. True members of the Greatest Generation, Mother and Daddy married on August 2, 1944, when he was home on leave from the Navy during WWII, After the war, Mother and Daddy moved to Belle after he became an electrical engineer for DuPont. In Belle, Mother thrived. She was an active member of the Judson Baptist Church, where she was a member of the Lydia Class which she supported her entire life. She organized Bible School, decorated for countless receptions, was a church trustee, a Brownie Scout leader,and a Girl Scout leader for years. Mother was an active member of the Belle Woman's Club, the Degree of Honor, the Garden Club, and later a proud member of the Grandmother's Club. In her early years she fixed hair, made countless perfectly sewn dance costumes for many girls at Jean Smithers Dance Studio. At Dupont High School she worked in the concession stand for two decades, made milkshakes, and was a member of the Pro Musica Guild. Later Mother volunteered as a dispatcher for the Belle Fire Department for more than a decade. For a few years she even worked in the Men's Department at the Stone and Thomas Department Store and as a cook for Kanawha County Schools. Mother and Daddy moved to Teays Valley after Daddy retired from DuPont so they could be closer to their grandsons. In Teays Valley Mother especially enjoyed worshipping at St. John United Methodist Church and felt an inner peace every Wednesday at the St. John Women's Sharing Group that she loved to attend. Mother helped at the Putnam County Food Pantry, attended the John Henson Senior Center, and was a member of the Putnam County Extension Homemakers. In 1993 because of her volunteer work, the Extension Homemakers chose her to be their Putnam County Belle, and as the Putnam County Belle she represented Putnam County in the 1993 West Virginia State Folk Festival in Glenville. She, also, remained a member of the Ateneo Espanol (Spanish Club) of Beckley, WV, throughout her life. Mother loved to drive. She was a great cook and made the world's best spaghetti sauce and the most delicious fudge ever - even last Christmas when she was 90. In Mother's house the Nativity stayed up all year because Christmas was her favorite holiday. Mother always did her best. When something needed to be done, it was "Ask Helvy. She'll do it." And she did do it, and she always did it well, enjoying each opportunity. Mother continued to be in charge of sending all greeting cards for her Lydia Class sisters this year at the age of 91 just as she had for the past 20 years. Many will miss receiving her thoughtful cards and letters which were always handwritten with her beautiful script. She was preceded to heaven by her husband, Paul, her parents, and by her brothers Tony, Jack,and George Garcia, and by her sister Tillie Martina. She is survived by her sister Trinie Muegge, her daughter and son-in-law, Dee and Phillip King, her daughter and son-in-law Sherry and Tim Owens, her beloved grandsons Drew and Adam King, her many nieces and nephews, and her countless friends. Mother's visitation and funeral service will be held at the Teays Valley Chapman Funeral Home located at 3941 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane, WV. The visitation times will be from 7:00 - 9:00 PM on Friday, December 14, 2012, with an additional hour of visitation from 10:00 - 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 15, 2012, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 AM at the funeral home. Immediately after the service, Mother will be buried next to her beloved Paul at Cunningham Memorial Park located on Kanawha Terrace in Saint Albans, WV. After she was older, Mother said that she would wake up, thank God for another day of life, and think, "Who can I help today?" Mother's life made a difference. She made the most of each day. Mother made an impact, and she is already missed. We, the members of her family, deeply loved her,and we know that she loved us - more.