Helen Marie Christie

Helen Marie Lastinger Durden Christie was born March 19, 1929 in Jacksonville, Florida to Fred and Palma (Key) Lastinger. She married Louis Durden at the age of 17 and moved with him to his naval assignment in Norfolk, Virginia, where they celebrated the birth of Alice, the first of three daughters. Peggy and Glenda were born after they returned to Jacksonville. After Helen and Louis decided to go their separate ways, she was briefly married again, hence the surname Christie. Many years later, when Louis experienced serious health problems, she welcomed him into her home and cared for him until he was able to return to his home.

Helen worked in several offices, as a dispatcher and/or administrator. She loved to tell the story of the big boss at Ivy Steel and Wire coming to visit her from the home office in Texas. She had arranged dental benefits for the employees in Jacksonville, at no cost to the company. He said, “I’m happy that we can do this for our employees here, but in the future, would you let me know about these things?” Apparently, the Texas employees wanted to move to Jacksonville, or at least to get the benefits that Miss Helen provided.

She did not complete high school before she married, but returned to earn her diploma at the tender age of 39, as an example for her children and grandchildren, so they would appreciate the importance of education. In countless ways, practical and extraordinary, she inspired younger generations to dream ambitiously and embrace challenge.

She was meticulous in her care for anything and anybody. She took a week of vacation every year, to paint every room in her house. Her yard was the best kept on the block. And she frequently opened her home to friends or family who needed a little help.

As a girl, she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. She poured that love of fashion into the many outfits that she sewed for herself, her daughters, and her grandchildren. Her sewing machine was a gift from her beloved grandmother, and she cherished it all of her life.

Anyone who spent time in her home, likely enjoyed Helen’s kitchen arts. She had an expansive collection of cookbooks and recipes, and she was always happy to try something new. Many of her recipes have become staples for everyday and holiday meals for family and friends from Jacksonville to Beijing, China. She shared her best baking recipes with her granddaughter, who was, for a time, the “cake lady” for a soul food restaurant.

She briefly dabbled in painting, but enjoyed a lifetime of drawing and doodling. She loved to read, and to complete crosswords and Sudoku puzzles. Her favorite flowers were yellow roses, which bloomed for a short while in the garden her granddaughter made for her. Her favorite color was blue.

She loved to grow just about anything – flower, fruit, or vegetable. She feuded with squirrels over her blueberry bushes, pear tree, and the pineapple she lovingly cultivated. But she loved to watch the squirrels and birds enjoying the feeders that she set up for them.

Although Helen loved to be at home, she was fearless and adventurous, traits that she passed on to her beloved grandson, Chris. In 1985, she challenged him to work a summer job and fund a trip for the two of them to explore New York City. That trip set Chris on a path that took him to Beijing, where Helen visited him, traveling with her daughter Alice in 2009.

She had a great sense of humor, and a mischievous streak. A bride or two may have reached her honeymoon suite to find her nightgown sewed shut. And one family friend reported losing 5 years off of his life when he “lost” her, and she jumped from behind a bush to scare him.

Helen loved animals, and kept numerous cats and dogs as pets over the years. Many, she took in as family members were unable to keep them. Others, she adopted off the streets. And still others, she lured away from their actual owners because she just loved them. In her later years, she loved to spend time with her beloved LillyBelle (cat), Lexi (lab mix), and Layla (chi-pom).

Helen loved, and was loved by, many people. Her best friend for 71 years was Vallaree. They raised their children together, and shared heartache and happiness throughout their lives. At Helen’s 90th birthday party, the two of them looked like schoolgirls, sharing secrets and giggling together. Her friend Bob Clifton, although he passed away a few years before, was her reliable escort and dear friend through many years, as well.

She was a Christian, and was baptized by her beloved cousin, Reverend Arnold Lewis Lastinger. She accepted and loved people, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. She would not tolerate meanness, and God help the person who would try to hurt someone she loved.

She supported a wide variety of charities, including St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, veteran’s organizations, animal shelters, Alzheimer’s research, and organizations that assist Native American tribes.

Helen was fiercely independent, and became frustrated in her later years with her memory failing her. She was blessed with good physical health, and her last day was a good one. She went to sleep, and she went home to heaven on May 6, 2020.

Waiting to welcome her were her parents, her sister Annie Mae, her daughter Peggy, her niece Trisha, her grandson Skipper, her cousin Arnold Lewis, and many other loved ones.

A memorial celebration will be held on a future, as yet undetermined, date. Please remember her through acts of kindness and service to others.