HT

Hello, My name is -------------------, I am________________________

The family has ask me to read a statement for them about Helen, Their mother, grand mother and great grand mother.

This was written by her only son, Roland

First thank you for coming today to honor Helen's memory.

Many people in this room knew he as the little old grand mother who cared for her grandchildren, entertained their fiends and always had a open door to entertain friends and strangers.

The last 30 year phase of her life as a widow were significant and worthy of mention, but we want to remind you of other phases of her life with which you may not have been familiar, or you may not reember.

In the 1970's there was emphasis on women expanding themselves and having full time careers as well as being full time mothers,wives and wonder women.

Helen Thomas met all of those criteria long before it became acceptible.

Along with he beloved husband , Vester they started a grocerystore in 1946, when I was only 6 weeks old.

They used an empty banana box as a basenette and kept me at their side while they operated the the store.

My memories are of her straightening the stock and of family meetings after hours as they went over the books, ordered re stocks and figured prices and profits.

They were as organized as any corporate giant and they successfully navigated their grocery business through 32 years of both good times and bad.

They ended up owning rental property, putting me through college and financially helping untold numbers of people along the way

In this role I saw my mother as a perfect wife who had two full meals on the table everyday, who cleaned the house and washed the dishes while sharing and supporting her husband's career dreams.

But she was more than that.

She was church treasruer for many years, sometime she was also church secretary, always helped with vacation bible school, sometimes taught sunday school , and was home room mother the first 6 years while I was in elementary school and attended every PTA meting .

After he mother and father moved to Birmingham, we visited them at least weekly, often spending the night.

You may not have known or remember that earlier phase of her life and may be surprised to know her in that role but the little granny we have known for the last 30 years took an active leadership role in commerce, education, civic affairs, and her church while being a full time mother and wife and devoted daughter.

When they moved to Hoover Mother took her own mother in and cared for her for most of the last 8 years of her life.

After Dad died she moved into one of their rental houses in Irondale.

The house was bought because it was the most conveniently located with access to most of Mother's family.

The house was well chosen.

The front porch served as a geathering spot for brothers' sister, nieces, nephews and dozens of friends.

Mother liked to meet new people and she used selling as a social outlet.

The first few years she was in Irondale she often had garage sales. and became good friends with dozens of people who frequented her sales.

He got their phone numbers , she knew their children, she invited them to church.

She joined the First baptist church and became treasurer of her sunday school class for probably over ten years.

She also cooked supper for us nearly everynight when the kids were of school age.

After the kids were gown s he continued cooking a couple meals a week for us up until recently.

She did our sewing and the first 10 years of my time in real estate she was my answering service.

I used her phone number on my advertising and she would sometime spend 30 minutes engaged in conversation with her before they hung up.

Often people would love me by the time I talked to me because mother had done such a good PR job.

They would often tell me how they had enjoyed talking to her.

She was an interesting person and a good role...

But we the family want to thank the many people in this room who were also invlved in her life.

It would be unfailr to mention all of you by name because we might leave someone out..

Since she had only a few direct heirs, she spread her love and her interest to others.

When we might feel guilty about not seeing her on a specific day or for a few days we would talk and she would teoo how different cousins had called or visited or how neighbors or church members had stoped by.

She talked about Rodnedy or Mark coming by and staying till 10 or 11.

She loved it.

There are a couple situations I want to share with you about her time in Irondale.

She on more than one occasion told me that although she had many friends in Irondale, probably the best friend had been Bernice

Van Sant, who just happened to be black.

I want her heirs to know that she said that ..

In a region of the country known for racial prejudice,she did not follow the norm.

She thought for herself and had too much love for G-d's and his people to be prejudice.

Another incident was when a black couple moved in next door for a short time.

There were some people who called to get her reaction and she gave them generic answers.

What she did not tell these people was that she had furnished the new neighbors with water during the first week end because they had not gotten a chance to have their water turned on.

Once when a very black evangilist from Africa visited me at her house , she pulled her kitchen routine that so many people in this room were familiar with.

She offered and served him food with all the hospitality of a nuturing mother.

Another interesting thing about here during he Grany phase of life was the collection of friends she had.

For some strange reason her street became a little united nations with several neighbors who were natives of counties from all over the globe.

After an earth Quake in Equidor, one couple came and stayed with her for almost a month becasue their houe had been damaged.

She regularily got calls from friends and former neighbors in trinidad and India .