Helen L Kopp

Helen Louise (Wilfong) Kopp, age 91, of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 9, 2026. Her husband of 72 years, Jack, had died just one year earlier.

Helen Kopp was born in Farmington, Missouri, the only daughter among four sons to Ida (Baker) Wilfong and “Roy” Wilfong. Her father, a World War I veteran, worked as most others in the “Lead Belt” for St. Joseph Lead Company in the mines. As the only daughter, Helen merited her own separate space in the family’s tiny two-bedroom, one-bathroom home. During the Great Depression, the Wilfongs raised chickens, had a milk cow, and had a big garden.

Among Helen’s fondest childhood memories was enjoying the cream separated from the fresh milk on her breakfast cereal.

It was in second grade that Helen met and became fast and best, lifetime friends with her “heart-sister,” Elizabeth Thomas. The girls were inseparable as “Willie” and “Tommy.” Around age 8, Helen’s father had an opportunity to work in Illinois for more money. The two girls approached Mr. Wilfong with a proposal. They said Helen could move, but on the condition that she would live with Elizabeth for 6 months, then Elizabeth would live with them for 6 months. It must have been a serious enough proposition that Mr. Wilfong stayed and worked in Leadington until he retired.

Entertainment options in the Depression were limited. The girls’ activities included climbing the “chat dumps,” which were mountainous piles of gravel that had been extracted from the lead mines. When the St. Joseph Lead Company miners went on strike, Helen and Liz looked for “communists” who had allegedly infiltrated Esther. Listening to St. Louis Cardinal baseball on KMOX radio was a daily ritual in the summers. When Jackie Robinson broke into baseball, Elizabeth’s father took them to see him play at Sportsman's Park.

Helen attended Esther (Missouri) Public Schools from the first through the twelfth grade, graduating in 1952. Esther High School functioned as both the educational and social center of the community. Helen took advantage of every opportunity, writing for the school newspaper, participating in drama club, glee club, Future Homemakers of America, and chorus. She was captain of the volleyball team, a cheerleader, and played on the softball team. The motto given to her in the senior yearbook was, "I'm here -- let's get started."

Helen began her secondary education at Flat River Junior College in 1953, ultimately completing her undergraduate degree from Missouri State Teachers’ College (now Missouri State University) in Springfield.

Helen and Jack were married in 1953 and continued to live and teach in the Lead Belt. In 1956, they moved to Winter Haven, Florida, where they were both public-school teachers. It was there that their son, Steven, was born. In 1960, the Kopp family moved back to southeast Missouri. Helen’s son, Kevin, was born in Bonne Terre in 1961.

Helen taught second grade at Flat River Elementary School but also began her work toward a master’s degree in speech and hearing, the beginning of a new career. She was a non-traditional student, spending two summers on campus at Central Missouri State University and later driving from Jefferson City to Warrensburg to take night classes.

In 1966, the Kopp family moved to Jefferson City, Missouri, where Jack and Helen were then employed in the Jefferson City Public Schools. When the two interviewed for their respective positions, the District Superintendent directed the hiring committee to “make sure that she comes here, and he can come, too.” Helen continued to teach second grade at East Elementary until she completed her master’s degree in speech and language pathology. This credential allowed her to become the first district-wide speech therapist in Jefferson City schools.

Classroom spaces were very limited, and in 1972, the District acquired the "speech van,” a white step van that would be described as a bread truck with JC Public School markings. The van was a complete mobile classroom with equipment for hearing and other diagnostic tests which Helen expertly conducted. The petite but dedicated Helen drove the van from school to school, daily, across the hills and valleys of Jefferson City. Every evening for over ten years, the van was parked in the driveway of the Kopp residence.

Helen retired from public school teaching in 1986 at the age of 52. She was a consummate professional, receiving “Outstanding Teacher” awards and deep respect from her peers. After their retirements, she and Jack traveled the world, including teaching jobs in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia and Maracaibo, Venezuela. These exotic locations allowed them to travel and explore Europe, Asia, Oceana, and the Caribbean.

They returned to Missouri in 1988, where they built a house on Lake Champetra in Ashland and enjoyed league tennis and travel. In 1998, the couple moved back to central Florida and maintained a snowbird lifestyle until 2015, when they moved to central Arkansas.

Helen was deeply involved in her sons’ lives, from driving Steve to marching band practice every fall morning at 6 a.m. to traveling with Kevin’s college tennis team’s pursuit of a National Championship. She fostered her sons’ curiosity of nature and encouraged them to read books. She tolerated the shenanigans of boys – her brothers, her husband, her sons – while managing a full and happy life of her own.

Growing up with four brothers, and then raising two boys, Helen was a tomboy and a natural athlete with a competitive streak. Her love of sports and outdoors remained with her her entire life. At one point, she was diagnosed by a Jefferson City physician with “tendonitis” in her elbow, the result of too-rigorous front-yard wiffleball activities with her sons. She and her family took many fishing trips around the U.S. and into Canada.

Helen was involved in many organizations, serving as the local president of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional society for women educators. Helen was baptized into Christ on March 28th,1948. She took her boys to churches every Sunday in the Lead Belt and Jefferson City. She satisfied her love of music, singing in church choirs (often as a soloist) and later with a handbells group.

She was active in team sports in high school and college, a life-long fan of the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team, and had a crush on Cardinal catcher, Joe Garagiola. In about 1970, Helen fell in love with tennis, participating competitively for decades wherever in the world they lived. She revered Billie Jean King and Chrissy Evert.

Helen’s energy and sunny disposition are missed by her son Steve and his partner, Sarah, and by her son Kevin and his wife, Leesa, all of whom live in Arkansas. She is also survived by her younger brother, Gene Wilfong, and his wife, Carole, of Columbia, Missouri.