Helen Ruth Woolley

Helen Luco Woolley went to her heavenly home on April 10, 2019. Funeral services will be held at 10:00am Saturday, April 13, 2019 at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home with Rev. Chester R. Smith, Jr. officiating. Burial will follow at North Belton Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 5-7:00pm Friday, April 12, 2019 at the funeral home.

Helen Luco Woolley was born February 5, 1927, in Hoen, Texas.  She was the youngest daughter of Ted and Marie Luco. She lived on a farm, and as the youngest girl, was given the choice of going to school or working in the cotton fields. She started to school at age five in a one-room country school house in Hoen, which was about half a mile north of where the family lived. The school was staffed by her aunt, Clara, who was the teacher. Helen completed all but two grades and then went to West Grammar School. After that, she continued her education at West High School where she graduated at the age of sixteen in 1943.

One of her sisters was a teacher and two were enrolled in nurses training. Helen said that teaching didn't interest her, so she decided to follow in the footsteps of her older sister. In addition, there was a great demand for nurses because of World War II. She applied for nurses' training in Waco but was turned down because of her age. Her oldest sister who was in the Army offered to pay for Helen to attend college. She spent a year at North Texas State Teacher's College in Denton, Texas, taking classes that would help in nurses' training.

Helen reapplied for nurses' training at Providence Hospital in Waco and was accepted.  She was also accepted by the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. She was in training for three years and at the end of that time, the students traveled to Dallas to take the State Board exam. After graduation, Helen took some time off and did private-duty nursing. She applied for a job at the VA Hospital in Temple, Texas, in 1948. 

She met Aubrey Lee Woolley at the VA Hospital. They were married in Taylor, Texas, on March 2, 1950. After Helen had a family, she maintained a hectic schedule. She attended Temple Junior College to increase her college credits. She became a head nurse on orthopedics in the mid-1960s so there was less hands-on contact with patients and more paper work. Helen retired in 1982 and worked at the VA Hospital for 37 years.

Helen had a servant’s heart and showed her love through acts of service. She was an active member of Seventh Street United Methodist/Oak Park Church including the Sarah Circle. She volunteered at Churches Touching Lives for Christ.  Helen was an excellent cook, seamstress, and gardener. She was never idle and kept her hands busy with counted cross stitch and quilting. She and Aubrey spent countless hours vegetable gardening on their 10 acres in Temple.  In their spare time, they enjoyed traveling and dancing.  She was devoted to her children and grandchildren, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do to help. She was a loyal friend, tireless worker, and a good listener. She ministered as a nurse to friends and family throughout her life.

Helen lived her final years at the Brookdale Western Hills assisted living community and at the Meridian of Temple. Her kindness and sense of humor made her a favorite with the other residents.

Helen was pre-deceased by her parents, Ted and Marie Luco; her husband, Aubrey Lee Woolley; her sisters, Esther McNeill Evans, Ruby Bostrom, Dorothy Crosswhite, and a brother, J.T. Luco. She is survived by her son Kyle (Monika) of Hewitt; daughter, Denise Karimkhani of Temple; grandson, Michael Karimkhani; granddaughters, Jessica Gilliam (Nathan), Amanda Lucas (William), and Sarah Woolley; and great-grandson, Andrew Gilliam.

Memorials may be made to The Gideons International, P.O. Box 1023, Belton, TX. 76513