Helen M. Gingras, 90, of Georgetown, Texas, died peacefully on June 21, 2020, not quite seven months after her Lou, her beloved husband of 71 years preceded her in death. She was born in 1929 in Flint, Michigan. Helen was a curious and intelligent child, who disassembled her brand-new bicycle just to see how it was built. Her father discovered her on the stoop, surrounded by bike parts, and said she’d better put that bike back together by dinner time. And she did. Helen played the French Horn while attending Flushing High School.
Helen’s best friend introduced her to her older brother Lou. Helen and Lou enjoyed telling the story of their first date where they shared a 5-cent root beer float. They married in 1948, and Helen devoted her life to her family, raising eight children, making sure to equip them with the skills for life. Helen promoted equality, the boys learned cooking, laundry, and all other sorts home skills.
She continued to take every opportunity to learn. Trips to the public library with the children didn’t end until Helen was finished researching her latest topic. She taught herself to play the stock market, she researched to learn to re-upholster a couch at home, and skinned and tanned a rattlesnake that dared to enter her garden shed. It is safe to say that the Public Library was one of her favorite places to be. Good health was always important to Helen, she managed diet and nutrition, to include vitamins and supplements, that certainly contributed to the longevity Helen, age 90, and Lou, age 96, enjoyed.
Once the children were more independent, she took up golf with Lou, and they took their love of the game to golf the Old Course at St. Andrews in Fifeshire, Scotland. At one time, she belonged to three golf leagues, and was President of her league at Spring Lake Country Club in Clarkston. Helen traveled the US and much of Canada by motorhome with Lou for over 30 years after his retirement. Helen volunteered as Camp Host at many of the campgrounds they frequented throughout the years, giving her opportunity to share her love of traveling, and jigsaw puzzles with fellow campers. Their travels took them to visit family across the country, and Helen always invited her grandchildren on campouts in the motor home. Another particular trip Helen enjoyed was a visit to Wall Street, where she witnessed the ringing of the bell, and the mayhem on the stock floor. She absolutely loved it.
Helen is survived by six of her children, 11 of her 14 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held in Michigan at a later date, with interment with her husband at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following charities: Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org), Georgetown Beard Club (georgetownbeardclub.com), or Ride 2 End Suicide (https://donate.knowresolve.org/event/ride-2-end-suicide-2019/e224226).
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