MEMORIES OF LOVED ONES WHO HAVE GONE BEYOND

My Grandmother on my Mother's side had a twin sister, another sister, and a brother. Her brother went into the Army during the Civil War and died at Jackson, TN. The following poem was found in my grandmother's diary. She wrote this poem in 1864. It has meant so much to our family, expressing the deep love we feel for one another, the pain in losing one of our loved ones, that I want to reprint the poem in this chapter.

Jacob Franklin Bayless - born Dec. 1, 1840 at Brightin, Ohio, and died Jan. 20,

1863 at Jackson, TN, buried in the Military Cemetery at Jackson.

A BROTHERS GRAVE

There's a cherished spot in a Southern Land.

A spot I shall never see.

Tis close by a murmuring river Shaded by many a tree.

At the foot of one of the largest may be a lowly mound.

And this is the one I Cherish

Although others are scattered around.

Tis the grave of a brother fallen By the hand of a rebel foe

A brother good and noble

By that cruel hand laid low.

Almost three long years we had waited Since we took his parting hand.

And we fondly hoped in the autumn

He would join our household band.

Oh, who can tell the deep anguish

Of those who were waiting there

When, homeward the white winged messenger

Did the dreadful tidings bear    

NAN KALER

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I never realized what the loss of a loved one meant until we lost my little sister June. It had never happened in the George Helle family before. When death happens to someone else it is a tragedy. When it comes home it is a disaster. Dreams are shattered. Life can never be the same. Such grief never leaves one completely.

Our family was never the same after June died. I still remember even after fifty years. I know she would want us to carry on and we do. Nellie "June", born June 4, 1924, was a beautiful little girl. She was talented, affectionate, a near perfect child. Perhaps, that is the reason God chose her for Heaven. She died August 25, 1932.

Lloyd and Opal lost their son Richard Lloyd on January 1, 1933. He was only two-years-old. I did not know him well but I know the sorrow this family felt. It was the second death in our family in five months.

Walter and Alice lost their first born, a son. Burnette Walter was born September 30, 1935 and died March 6, 1937 at seventeen months. Like most parents, they had built dreams for this son. Now these dreams would never come true. The memory of this son will be cherished forever.

Alice's sister raised her from the age of nine. This sister's oldest son, Buddy, was like a brother to Alice. In February 1936 at twenty one years old, he was killed in a logging accident. Dashed hopes -shattered dreams.

We lost our Dad on November 20, 1943. He was seventy and had been in ill health for three years. He had lived a rich full life, but we were not ready to give him up. I don't believe we ever would be. Dad was a kind and gentle man, a wonderful father and a wonderful person. We loved him so much.

Royle and Alta had five children. Joyce was their youngest. At age thirteen she became ill. This was November 1947 and she died February 21, 1948. Royle wrote a poem about his five children. The poem is in chapter three.

Life in the family became productive, busy and interesting, going at a fast pace. Our son, Lyle was married and his wife, June was expecting their first child: On September 7, 1956, I received a phone call. I remember each word spoken. "This is the Sheriff's Office. One of your trucks is wrecked west of Lanark in the Viaduct. The men are pinned in the cab and it is burning." When I got there I was told Lyle was gone.

Lyle's life was just beginning. He was only Twenty-and-a-half-years-old when he died. David, Lloyd and Opal's son, was to survive this accident, but not without his scars. Words can not describe a father's thoughts when he is told this kind of news. There is no way to say it, but I was devastated! Dreams were shattered again. The world had fallen in. I felt like I had a great hole in my stomach. I know Hazel felt as badly as I did because she brought him into the world. We all loved him so much, maybe too much. Our three other children, Louise, Harley and Lorraine each felt the loss.

Lyle's wife June would be without her husband beside her when their daughter, Donna Lee, was born two months later on November 10th. We were all in a daze. The people of the community, family, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins; everyone shared our grief. Lyle was special. A friend, Maylene Ernst, said "Lyle's death cast a veil over the whole community." I believe it did. The funeral was so large that they were standing outside the church when there was no room left inside. Lyle touched many lives. I realized then that this is also what happened in the Wyoming Community when my sister died twenty-four years earlier.

Ava and Emerson Boyce lost their first born, a son, Samuel Edward, born December 30, 1954. He was still born. How empty their arms must have felt.

On August 19, 1960, Vernon and Dee Helle lost their first born child, a daughter, Cheryl Lynn. Another sweet infant gone.

Phyllis Fern, last daughter of Nellie and Delbert, died on August 18, 1960. She was ill for six months with a rare form of Leukemia for which there was no known cure. One cannot measure pain or it's intensity, but I always felt the waiting must have been hard.

Phyllis was Delbert and Nellie's youngest daughter. She was a sweet girl, full of life and laughter. She had a great sense of humor and a sparkle about her that made her special. We will never forget this dear, sweet, special girl.

continued

copied by Lee Helle with permission 1999