Helen is survived by her daughter, Sylvia Helen Ratley, of Pompano Beach, FL, her son, James E. Frebel and his wife, Gun, of Pembroke Pines, FL, her daughter, Helen Ann Rogers, of Cooper City,FL, her daughter-in-law, Gladys Frebel, of Pembroke Pines, FL, her stepson, Marshall Kerr and his wife, Diane, of Ashville, NC and her stepson, Charles Kerr, of Sebring, FL. She is also survived by grandchildren, Charmaine Casarico, Kim Duffy, Scott Rogers, Ashley Griffin, Kevin Rogers, Vivian Rodriguez, Harold Rodriguez, Melanie Willis, and Kari Fisher. She was also the loving great-grandmother of Brendon Simeone, Bryan Simeone, Alex Brent, Joseph Griffin, Jacob Griffin and Willa Griffin and great-great granddaughter, Violet Simeone. She also has a surviving sister, Eugenia (Gene) Kizer, from Owensboro, KY, and is survived by many loving cousins, nieces and nephews, as well. She is preceded in death by her first husband, Alfred E. Frebel, second husband, Erwin (Ed) Kerr, son, Alfred E. Frebel, Jr., grandson, Mark Hamilton, and granddaughter, Rochelle Simeone.
Helen was born on September 25, 1919, in New Site, MS, to parents John Strother Kizer and Willie Cobb Kizer. She never completed college, but she was always a hard worker. She worked in the shipyard in Pascagoula where she met her future husband. She also taught a short time, was an Avon lady, was a school cafeteria lady and worked as a church secretary, besides being involved in many different volunteer activities. She once said, “I’ve had the best jobs I could raising a family and working for the church. The pay hasn’t been the greatest, but the retirement is out of this world!”
Helen was a loving, Christian wife and mother. She married Alfred E. Frebel on March 4, 1944, in Pascagoula, MS, and the couple had 4 children together. They celebrated more than 56 years of marriage before Alfred passed away in October, 2000. A couple of years later, she met Ed Kerr at church services. Before long and in their 80’s, they began dating, and ultimately wed on November 30, 2002, in Cooper City, FL. They were blessed to spend 16 years together before Ed passed away in August, 2018.
Helen was an active woman who was deeply involved in her church, Hialeah Church of Christ, for many years. She was even the church secretary for several years. One of her greatest joys was cooking for others. Her chicken and dumplings, pecan pie, sour cream pound cake and split pea soup, plus many other delicious foods, were enjoyed by many. She also loved doing things that blessed others like helping with feeding the homeless, attending ladies’ prayer nights, sending Bible correspondence courses to prisoners, sending cards and notes to people, and having people in her home. She loved writing inspirational poetry and was even published in Christian Woman magazine. One of her favorite things to do, even up to a couple of weeks before her death was interacting with friends and family on Facebook. Her family and friends will always remember her as a loving and caring person who inspired many.
A private funeral is scheduled at Forest Lawn South, in Davie, Florida, on Friday, October 16, 2020, at 12:00 noon, with a graveside service immediately afterwards. The family would like to thank all those who have sent cards, texts, messages, phone calls and most of all prayers during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to send a donation c/o Hialeah Church of Christ, 1474 West 84th Street, Hialeah, FL 33014, with Helen Kerr’s name on the memo line. Any money received will be donated to a Florida prison ministry which Helen was a part of for many years.
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