Helen Elaine Phillips Bridge Ferrell, June 30, 1928 - March 5, 2020. Helen Ferrell was born and grew up in the small community of the Burnt Isles in Lumberton, North Carolina. This was during the Depression, but Helen often said though they were poor, they always had plenty to eat living on the farm. One of her greatest sorrows was the loss of her father when she was 7 years old. Like so many did during that desperate time, her family moved to where jobs could be found; they moved to Newport News, Virginia where she graduated high school. While working in a bank, at age 19, Helen met and married Calvin J. Bridge (d. 1976). They had three children: Sharon, Pam, and Scott. The family moved to Wilson, North Carolina in 1955. In 1966, they moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Helen lived the rest of her full and productive life. In 1975, Helen married Robert (Bob) Ferrell.
Helen Ferrell was basically a stay at home mom, but held various part-time jobs, “just to keep her hand in”. One of her greatest achievements was serving as President/CEO of State Employees Credit Union from 1967-1992. Beginning in a humble single office with a half door and metal desk at the Florida State Board of Health, Helen grew State Employees Credit Union into one of the most reputable credit unions in Florida with more than $28 million in assets at the time of her retirement in 1992. She truly loved helping her many members. Upon retirement, Helen found her new passion in real estate, as a landlord and owner of three apartment buildings in San Marco and Riverside, along with a beach condo at Jacksonville Beach (where she thoroughly enjoyed her sunny days as one of the “Sunrise Mermaids”). Helen Ferrell LOVED talking real estate and business!
Helen had numerous interests and volunteer activities with a particularly special interest in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Clara White Mission.
Helen Ferrell is preceded in death by her husband Calvin Bridge (1976), her husband Robert Ferrell (1986), and her son, Robin Scott Bridge (1989). She is survived by her two daughters: Sharon B. Dover, Jacksonville; Pamela B. Davis, (Robert), Tallahassee; three grandchildren: George L. Dover (Nichole), Jacksonville; Katie D. Caro (Mike), Jacksonville; and Jillian E. Davis, Tallahassee; two great-grandchildren: Liam Cotter and Dover E. Caro, Jacksonville; sister, Jackie P. Suppa, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; brother, John Martin, Troy, North Carolina; and sister-in-law, Marsha Martin, Chapin, South Carolina.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Assumption Life Teen Program or Clara White Mission.
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