Helen Anita McDaniel

Helen Anita McDaniel, 87, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, entered the presence of Jesus on November 25, 2024. She will be remembered for her fun spirit and mischievous side, as well as her ability to see and move toward people in need. Helen loved freely, and demonstrated care for all those with whom she came in contact.

She was born Helen Scoopmire in Rehoboth, NM, on January 16, 1937. She grew up in nearby Gallup, was a proud "Rainbow Girl", and graduated from Gallup High School in 1955. For the next several years, Helen worked as a telephone operator for Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph. By God's providence, Helen met another telephone company employee, lineman James McDaniel, and they fell in love. They were married over 65 years. (With a gleam in his eye, James says he met Helen at the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, Alaska. But that is hard to square with verifiable facts.)

Helen is survived by husband Jim, sons and their spouses, Darin McDaniel (Kaye) and Wes McDaniel (Cheryl); grandchildren and their spouses, Krista (Jonathan), Matthew (Jillian), Brian (Courtney), and Sean (Danielle); and three great-grandchildren, Reuben, Micah and Josiah. Once, when asked what she was proudest of in her life, Helen said "all my family having a personal relationship with God." She was preceded in death by her mother, Maxine (Medlock) Scoopmire, father John B Scoopmire, and brother John W (Andrea) Scoopmire.