resided for 17 years. Born in Lowell N.C., she was the daughter of the late Enoch and Ella
Cannon. Helen attended Lowell High School and Kings College in Charlotte. She was a devoted
wife, mother, sister and friend. Her most cherished things on earth were her animals; she was
an animal lover to the very end.
Helen loved bridge, bingo, cactus, coffee, reading until midnight, and bragging about her
children and grandson, Tyler. Helen and Tyler were both born on December 17; she was in the
birthing suite when he came into this world and always said it was her best birthday ever!
Through the years, Helen remained devoted to the love of her life, Dr. Tom Roach. They
married at ages 16 and 19 and journeyed together through thick and thin. Tom died suddenly at
age 50, but he never left Helen’s heart. She put Tom through dental school at Emory University
after he attended Wake Forest University and returned from the Marines. Using her amazing
memory and talent with numbers, she worked for Nabisco Biscuit Company in Atlanta where
she rechecked and confirmed invoice accuracy. Later she worked for Northwestern Bank, First
Union, and finally Wells Fargo, where she retired as a head teller. Prior to her banking career,
she modeled and marketed clothing lines to wholesale retailers in the Charlotte area.
Family members call Helen one of the strongest women they’ve ever known. She had two
amazing lifetimes - one with her loving husband, and then another as a single, strong-willed
woman and mother supporting her children and friends. She made the very best of both lives
and never complained - just kept moving forward.
She will be missed by her brother, Earl Cannon of Gastonia, N.C.; her son and daughter-in-law,
Stan and Cricket Roach of Beaufort, S.C.; her daughter and son-in-law, Teri and Hugh Hayes of
Blowing Rock, N.C.; her cherished grandson, Tyler Roach, and wife, Aundrea, of Asheville N.C.;
step-granddaughters Hannah Casey (Allen) and Sarah Reymann (Dan); step-great
granddaughters, Margot and Greta; and many nieces, nephews and dear friends.
A small celebration of Helen’s life will be scheduled later in the summer. In lieu of flowers,
Helen would enjoy knowing you contributed to your local humane society in her memory.
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