Barbara Agnes (Malinowski) Helton

Barbara was born on September 24, 1950, in Höxter, in the post-World War II British sector of Germany. Being a Polish immigrant, on January 15, 1951, along with her father and mother, Jozef and Joanna, and her brother Fred, she sailed to the United States aboard the General M.B. Stewart and landed in New York. They made their temporary home in New Jersey, where their sponsor found work for her father. The family later moved to Chicago, where her sister, Bernice, was born. Barbara did not gain her United States citizenship until she was 20 years old. She, along with her parents Jozef and Joanna who also gained U.S. citizenship in their later years, had a full appreciation of the true privilege it is to be a United States Citizen.

Barbara received her formal education at Holy Family Academy in Chicago, Illinois, and was a devoted Catholic. She met James Helton while he was serving in the Navy, and they were married on December 11, 1971, in Chicago, Illinois. Their union was blessed with three children. They later moved to Huntsville, where they lived for 11 years, before finally settling in Alabaster in 1986.

If you didn't know Barbara personally, you were missing out. You always knew where you stood with her; she was quick-witted and kept everyone laughing. She definitely walked to the beat of her own drum in her Crocs and Birkenstock shoes (also known as Mammy's shoes), blue jeans, and T-shirts.

Barbara, also known as Basha, Barbarosa, Boo, Barb, Mom, and Mammy, loved spending time with family, especially when the grandkids were little and going to “Mammy's Mall.” She was a dedicated bargain shopper and would wait for a month to pull the trigger on a purchase.

She hailed from Chicago, so it was Cubs baseball all the way. When college basketball March Madness hit, she would follow her “Boys,” Auburn and Alabama. Her love for sci-fi, especially Aliens and Star Trek, and attending the movies started young, along with her siblings Fred and Bernice.

She was an AMC movie stub holder—she had her own personal seat. She also enjoyed watching movies at home and finding cool shows on TV to watch.

Barbara had been an avid reader all of her life, a love that started when she was young, and the knowledge she gained through reading was very evident. She had great taste in music, with an excellent range in genre. Her favorites included Elton John, Luther Vandross, Fleetwood Mac, and Queen, just to mention a few.

She really would give you the shirt off her back, without seeking credit, and preferred it that way. Her life was well lived, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Barbara was a true Trekkie, and in the words of Spock, “Live Long and Prosper.”

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Fred Malinowski; her sister-in-law, Harriet Malinowski; her sister, Teresa Mschieczeka; and her brother-in-law, Ira Helton.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, James Helton; her children, Denise Marin of Tucson, Arizona; Vicki Waldrep and her husband, Lyn, of Athens, Alabama; and Joanna Helton of Pell City, Alabama.

Her true favorites, her grandchildren, include Alec DeSantis, Jeneca Marin, Lydia Helton, Andrew Waldrep and Elizabeth Waldrep.

Barbara married into a large, loud Helton family, which included loving in-laws James and Ellen, along with brothers-in-law David and his wife, Kathy; Ira and his wife, Jan; Granville and his wife, Carolyn; Kenneth and his wife, Jeri; as well as her sister-in-law Nancy Scott and her husband, Ray. From this Helton clan, as well as the Malinowski family, came a host of nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly, with a few nephews who were her favorites, but we don’t want to hurt anyone's feelings today!

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Southern Heritage Funeral Home on Saturday, August 22, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. The service will be officiated by Reverend Ron Oakley. The family will have a private committal at a later date. In addition to flowers or plants, any memorials can be made to The Gideons International.