Gaylene Mary Helms

Memorial services for Gaylene Mary George-Helms will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Reed-Culver Chapel. Her family will be leading her services. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.reedculver.com.

Her honorary pallbearers include Michael Hammond, Michael Evan Hammond, Mark James Hammond, Thomas Stopp, Justin McKenna, Uriah Tomasik, RaShaan Brownlee, Marvin Brownlee, Arthur Hosfeldt ,Sonny George, Clay Collins and Chase Collins.

Gaylene Mary Helms was born on Tuesday, July 7th, 1953,in Nespelem, Wa, the daughter of Peter Bill and Gloria Regina (Courville) George. She attended school and graduated from Tahlequah High School. She then began her studies at Flaming Rainbow University in Tahlequah. She was an artist by trade and specialized in Silver Smithing, beadwork, for which she won prestigious awards in Montana, stained glass artistry, and jewelry making. You could find Gaylene honing her craft while listening to her favorite music, blues, jazz, rock n roll, whatever spirit moved her at the moment. She loved to keep company with her animal companions and had a roadrunner for a companion, a pet squirrel, and a variety of deer and birds that frequented the feeders and ate from her hand. She married her best friend, Michael Helms and together they raised a daughter, Fawn. They loved life and everything it had to offer. Gaylene possessed a beautiful smile, a loving heart and a gypsy soul. She made friends easily because she was a person that you could enjoy being around. She was the genuine article, what she presented was what she truly was, and always would be, Gaylene. She was very proud of her family and her and her sisters and brother shared a bond that could never be broken, what happened to one, happened to all. The wicked sense of humor she had made for many moments of laughter and happy memories. Quiet time was spent curled up in her favorite chair watching QVC, and purchasing the odd keepsake or two. She lost her beloved Michael, so Gaylene and Fawn kept each other close. She was always ready for a new adventure, to meet new friends and to create, it was in her blood. She passed from this life all too soon on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019 at her home in Proctor. She was 66 years old and leaves a void that will never be filled.

Gaylene has gone on to join her mother and father, her grandparents, Henry and Victoria (Burland) Courville and Chief Coxit and Christine Julia (Pe’le) George, and her husband Michael Helms.

Those left to celebrate her memory include her daughter, Fawn Michelle Helms-Hosfeldt and husband Arthur of Spanaway, WA. She leaves one brother and three sisters, Peter B. “Sonny” George Jr of Nespelem, WA, Gloria Hammond and husband Michael, Joanne Stopp and husband Thomas, and Linda Standing Cloud all of Tahlequah, OK. She leaves seven nieces, five nephews, over 50 great nieces and nephews, and a very special friend, Kathy Walker of Oklahoma City, OK, as well as many friends and a host of loved ones too numerous to mention.