A viewing will be held Thursday, August 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. followed by a memorial service at Allnutt, 650 West Drake Road, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524. Then the family will fly Helen back to her favorite state to be buried with her late husband John Derschon in Davis, Oklahoma.
Helen was born January 23, 1931, in Maypearl, Texas. She was one of five children. Her parents were Homer A. Ledbetter and Effie (Harlin) Ledbetter. Her siblings are Nicky Ledbetter of Mill Creek, Oklahoma, LaNell Bailey of Sulphur, Oklahoma, and Linda Weatherly of Orange, Texas. Her sister, Bennie Lou Bailey, of Sulphur, Oklahoma, preceded her in death.
When Helen was 21 years old, she married James Fortunato and they had 4 boys, Skipper, Tony, Jim and John. And then she married John Derschon and had one more child named Gary.
While Helen was raising her sons, she attended nursing school to become a registered nurse because she loved helping people. After she retired, she moved to Sulphur, Oklahoma before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado to be close to Gary and his family.
Helen loved her children and grandchildren and she loved Cardinals, butterflies, hummingbirds, flowers and gardening. She loved sewing, crafts, making jewelry and she loved making gifts for her daughter-in-laws, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Helen’s husbands, James and John and her sons, Skipper and John, 1 grandson, Kyle, and 1 great-grandson, Connor, preceded her in death. She is survived by her sons, Tony, Jim and Gary and their wives, Teri, Kathy and Lynda and Skipper’s wife, Gail and John’s wife Sondra and 11 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
Flowers for the graveside service in Oklahoma maybe sent to Green Hill Cemetery, Highway 77, Davis, OK 73030.
In lieu of flowers, because Helen loved dogs, donations are being accepted by Larimer County Humane Society.
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