Helen Stevens Truslow

Helen Stevens Truslow was welcomed into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father during this Easter season. She leaves behind a family that loved her and cared deeply for her: her two sons, Donald Kent Truslow (Beverly) of Charlotte, North Carolina and Edward Allen Truslow (Mary) of Valencia, California; her grandchildren, Ann Truslow Siak (Mark) of Charlotte, North Carolina, Stuart Auchincloss Truslow II of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Martha Truslow Smith (Noah) of Charlotte, North Carolina; and her great grandchildren, Frances Morrison Siak and Henry Kent Siak, both of Charlotte, North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Sidney Stevens; her mother, Hattie Jones Stevens; and her husband, Stuart Auchincloss Truslow.

Helen was born in Clinton, North Carolina on July 6, 1934. At the age of nine, she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina which she grew to love and cherish as her home town. After graduating from New Hanover High School in Wilmington, she attended East Carolina College for just over one year. While at East Carolina, she was persuaded to go to a football game on a blind date with a newly minted Air Force lieutenant and fighter pilot. That date turned into a full and rich life during a marriage of sixty-three years that ended with the passing of her husband, Stu. As a newlywed, Helen lived on the Air Force base in Albany, Georgia while Stu’s Air Force missions took him all over the world. After Stu left the Air Force, they resided in Summit, New Jersey for eighteen years where they made many life-long friends. However, they had a desire to return to the south. So in 1974, they packed up and moved to Atlanta.

In Summit, Helen was an active member of the Junior League. After moving to Atlanta, she continued her involvement with the League through the League Sustainer Transfers. She was both a devoted and beloved member, known fondly by rarely ever missing an event or a party, even in her later years. Helen loved to sing and was a gifted soprano. She sang in various church choirs and was a member of the Summit Chorale. She later joined the Choral Guild of Atlanta where she sang for nearly forty years. A hallmark of Helen’s home was the sound of her practicing her part of an upcoming performance. Her sons especially remember her practicing Handel’s Messiah for performances at Christmas in which she sang every year. Helen also loved to travel. During their marriage, Helen and Stu visited cities or took cruises all over the world, including places in China, Russia, Israel, Egypt, Eastern and Western Europe, and Alaska. Later in life, Helen was a loyal follower of the Atlanta Braves. Whether attending home games when she had the opportunity, or watching on television, she rarely missed a game and knew exactly where the Braves were in the standings, who was pitching well, and who was hitting well. Her sons were especially both surprised and amused by this given she showed little interest in sports while they were growing up. When asked about this, she told them that when she was a girl, her father would take her to see the minor league team in Wilmington and explain the game to her. Watching the Braves rekindled the closeness that she felt to her father during those outings.

Helen loved her Lord, Jesus Christ. As her granddaughter said when she heard of Helen’s passing, “Nana so loved to sing the Messiah. And now she is singing to the Messiah.” She will be greatly missed by her loving family.

A graveside service will be held at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mt. Vernon Highway, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, at 10:00 am on May 4, 2019. The service will be followed by a visitation at Lenbrook, 3747 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta Georgia 30319 from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Helen’s memory to Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. The family also wishes to express their deep gratitude to the staff at Lenbrook for the care and friendship they provided Helen throughout the years of her residency.