Edna Burris Helms

Edna was a beautiful angel of God and lived her life to glorify Him in all she did. She was not only a blessed wife and devoted mother to 4 children, but a true source of strength and love. She worked in tandem with her husband Charlie to create Charlie Helms Builders, Inc., their custom home building business, and was inspirational in their homes’ design and décor.

A charter member of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Edna was constantly involved with singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School and serving on various church boards. She was a consummate homemaker, gardener and seamstress and worked tirelessly to put her family’s needs before her own. Outside of church and family, her passion was music and poetry. She composed many beautiful songs, inspired by her spiritual connection to the Lord, and wrote a short story published for “Albemarle Tales”.

Her love of music began early in life. At the age of 8 years old, she found an old autoharp tucked away under her bed and asked her father to tune it. Her father, a fiddle player, insisted she play along with him and gave her some simple instructions. This was her first and only music lesson, and it started a life-long passion of playing and performing. There were many evenings spent with family and friends playing their fiddles, guitars, banjos and the piano; playing and singing their songs of faith and tradition. She played and sang for church events, retirement homes, nursing facilities, holiday banquets, Charlotte Rescue Mission’s “A Dove’s Nest”, music festivals and in her later years organized a group she coined “The Ever Ready” group because she wanted to be “ever ready” to bring music to people’s lives.

Edna also employed a special addition to her performances. In her own words, when interviewed by Judy M. Plummer for The Charlotte World, she shared: “When I was growing up, I loved to listen to Minnie Pearl on the radio. I related to her and she taught me about life in a humorous way. I wrote all her jokes down and memorized them. Years later, in the nursing homes, I decided to use the Minnie Pearl character. They already had Bible studies and I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to bring joy to their faces. This way-out, hillbilly style made the residents laugh and remember their past. God used laughter and music together.” Edna’s “Minnie Pearl” imitation skits, complete with price-tagged hat, brought laughter and joy to hundreds of people over the years and gave Edna the opportunity to touch lives with her infectious humor and musical style.

After the death of her husband, Charlie, Edna took her music, and autoharp, on mission trips to The Holy Land, Romania and Rio de Janeiro. Her autoharp was her invitation to share not only music, but also her faith; and to help bring the grace, salvation and the love to God to those who had not heard. She was a blessing to all who met her. Her abiding spirit and absolute graciousness endured and was witnessed by her caregivers after Alzheimer’s robbed her of speech. They were quick to profess what a joy and what a treasure she was and how lucky they were to care for her. She truly lived a life of consecration and honor to God.

Edna is survived by her 3 daughters: Joy H. Davis and husband Mike, Jan Patrice Helms, Jill H. Parker and husband Dave, and daughter-in-law, Cathy L. Helms; her 7 grandchildren: Aaron, Rachel, Abigail, Jacob, Caleb, Jesse and Clay; and 6 great-grandchildren. We have all been greatly loved, inspired and blessed. To God be the Glory.