On a personal note, with thanks to AHS in Oakland, California for the notification, we report the sad news of the death of Helen Barrett of Lexington, Nebraska. She passed away peacefully on February 16 at the age of 103.
I only met her once, on the occasion of an interview in the very first days of a seventeen-day summer 2008 road trip across Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota to document the national political conventions. But she made an indelible impression on me. She was gracious, patient, wise – and witty, as you'll see in the brief video below.
Helen's only living brother David, twenty-three years her junior, died a few days earlier in Florida. Memorial services are planned this Saturday in Florida and Lexington. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and friends.
.
[video caption: "Interview with Helen Barrett of Lexington, Dawson County, Nebraska. August 21, 2008, ten days prior to the GOP national convention in St. Paul.
Note that Ms. Barrett is the mother of retired GOP U.S. Congressman William E. "Bill" Barrett, featured in an interview recorded on the same day."
Part of year-long national media project "The Electoral College."]
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The following obituary was published online on lexch.com
Helen Barrett
Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 10:16 AM CST
Helen (Stuckey) Barrett, 103, of Lexington, died Feb. 16, 2009 in Lexington.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Lexington with the Rev. Caroline Vickery officiating.
A private family inurnment will be held prior to the memorial service.
There will be no visitation. The family has honored Helen’s wishes that her body be cremated.
Survivors include her son, William E. Barrett of Lexington, and daughter, Marjorie Barrett Hewitt of Lincoln, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, John C. Stuckey, Dean Stuckey, Robert Stuckey, James Stuckey, David Stuckey and an infant sister.
Helen was born Sept. 3, 1905, to George Edgar and Marjorie (Campbell) Stuckey in Broken Bow. For the first 10 years of her life she lived on a ranch with her parents and two younger brothers, attending nearby Burr Oak School in Custer County. In 1915, the family moved to Lexington, where her mother died shortly after the move. Her father ultimately remarried and three more brothers were born into the family.
Helen attended Lexington Public School until 1921, at which time she enrolled in Lindenwood College Academy near St. Louis, Mo., graduating from there in 1923, and beginning classes at Hastings College in Hastings, where she remained until she graduated in 1927. That same year she married Lexington native, Harold O. Barrett, also a graduate of Hastings College, and they shared the next 47 years together until his death in 1974.
Helen’s adult life was dedicated to being a wife and mother, coupled with her unending service to others. She was an active participant in the Presbyterian Church, where she served as Deacon, a ruling Elder, and a leader in the Women’s Association. She was a member of the Lexington Mother’s Club, a 74-year member of P.E.O. She was a co-founder of Lexington Goodwill Association, and is remembered for many years of service heading up that organization. She was active in the local Hospice through the Community Hospital, and she served for years as 4-H Club leader for children growing up in less fortunate circumstances. During WWII, she served as an aide at the Community Hospital and in a doctor’s office, and until the war ended, remained a frequent volunteer at the North Platte Canteen, recruiting other women to come and serve with her.
Helen found time to garden, and always enjoyed the opportunity to share her flowers with friends. She was well into her 80s when she organized a “walking club” for women who wanted to get outdoors and walk for their health.
Memorials are suggested to the First Presbyterian Church, Hastings College, Lexington Community Foundation or the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department.
Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Lexington is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences or guestbook signatures may be directed to: reynoldslovefuneralhome.com.
Jon,
Helen Barrett was my Aunt. My father David was Helen's brother he died 5 days before Helen in St. Petersburg,FL. Thank you for your kind words, and the video to remember my Aunt by.
Bill Stuckey
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