Gertrude Lee Helton Atwood

She was born on April 23, 1922 in Creedmoor, Texas to Thomas Lee Helton and Beulah Mae Payton. She was the third child born into a family that consisted of six girls and two boys.

She grew up on the family dairy farm on Yeager Lane in the Dessau community. She was born into a time in history marked by the Great Depression and World War II. Speaking of the generation of Americans born in this era, news reporter Tom Brokaw called them “The Greatest Generation”.

She knew the meaning and the importance of faith, family, and hard work. She did pretty much anything that needed doing on the dairy, except for working in the fields, due to acute asthma. Her mother passed on to her the cooking and seamstress skills that she blessed her family with throughout her life.

She began her schooling at Dessau, then went to Pflugerville, Sprinkle, and finally to Manor, where she graduated in 1940.

She met Morris Glenn Atwood, the love of her life, when she was 14. They intended to be married as soon as she graduated from high school, but by that time, Uncle Sam had come calling for our dad. They were finally married in New Orleans, where Morris was on maneuvers, on September 6, 1941.

She worked for the U.S. Postal Service while Morris was overseas. Afterward, she held part-time jobs at Scarboroughs and Bealls a few times for Christmas money. She was a teacher’s aide at Manor Elementary School for 7 years. But her real calling was as a Christian mother and homemaker. That was God’s calling to her…and God’s blessing to us.

She and Daddy instilled the importance of faith in all of her children. They lived in Temple for a time, and went to church there, making lifelong friends along the way. In 1954, they moved back to Austin and joined Northwest Baptist Church. They were a part of that family of faith until Morris’ death in 1985. She then moved to Pflugerville and joined 1st Baptist Church of Pflugerville, and was a member there until her death.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Morris; infant son, Morris Jr.; a grandson, Luke Atwood; a great-grandson, Scott Lewis; her parents; 4 sisters and 2 brothers.

She is survived by sons, Marvin (Patti); David (Cissy); Gary (Debbie); 1 sister, Ella Mae Amstead; 7 grandchildren, Greg Atwood, Melanie Killingsworth (Brian), April Payne (Jerry), Jennifer Mikulencak (Darrell), Kelly Windham (Dustin), Kimberly Jones (Broc), Leslie Braun (Greg); 6 great-grandchildren, Kaycee and Baylee Killingsworth, Jared Payne, Landon Mikulencak, Madison and Bryson Jones.

Special thanks to all of the staff at Pflugerville Care Center for all of their love, care, and compassion given so generously to our mother. Also to Debbie Jackson, who was a special friend and assistant to her.

Friends may pay their respects from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville, Texas.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at the Memorial Chapel of the funeral home. Committal services will follow at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery.

Please visit Mrs. Atwood’s memorial site at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com where you can share memories and leave condolences for her family.