Helen W. Hutchison was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1925 and graduated from Evanston High School in the class of 1942. Helen then attended Michigan State and Northwestern University, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and would meet her future husband, William Hutchison. She later graduated from the Katharine Gibbs School in Chicago, IL, and started a career at Young & Rubicam Advertising, Chicago branch.
When William Hutchison finished medical school, Helen and William married and moved to Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, where William was stationed as a Navy doctor, and Helen taught school. The time spent on Saipan inspired Helen and instilled a life-long interest in Asian aesthetics and design.
Helen and William settled in Tallahassee in 1953, where William set up his orthopaedic practice. Helen volunteered for many community activities involving her children. She also volunteered for the medical community, including the Women's Medical Auxiliary and the Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center in Tallahassee.
Helen passed on her appreciation of nature to her children. She was an avid gardener and found her creative voice when the purchase of a bonsai led her to join the Tallahassee Bonsai Society. As a member of the Tallahassee Bonsai Society for several decades, Helen enjoyed attending local plant digs and workshops, as well as statewide and sometimes national conventions.
Survivors include her children: James Hutchison of Deltona, FL; Jean Hutchison Smith and her husband, Scott, of Tallahassee; Susan Hutchison-Johnston and her husband, Loren, of Willis, TX; and grandson Shane Hutchison of Los Angeles, CA. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. William Hutchison, M.D., and son Thomas Hutchison.
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