Helen Ann James' Obituary
Helen Ann James 89, of Smyrna, Georgia, died on October 4th, 2023 in Atlanta of heart failure following several years of declining health. She was born in Hall County, Georgia in 1934 to Clara Merritt James and John W. James. Helen attended Gainesville high school and later graduated from Brenau College.
Helen didn’t have children of her own, but spent a lot of time with her nieces, Susan and Lisa, when they were children and when possible, later on after they had grown up and moved away. From early childhood, my (Susan) memories of Helen include family trips, going to Braves games, gardening, and fishing. When I was a little older, Helen took me to see shows like “The King and I” and “Auntie Mame” at the Atlanta Civic Center. After I moved to France, she came to visit; we took an especially memorable side-trip to Amsterdam where Helen and I visited the city and were amazed at the beauty of the tulip fields.
I (Lisa) have many memories from childhood including the Braves games and her buying sand to fill up our sandbox. She was always the one to say, “Let’s Go!” She had enough energy for us all and then some. She moved near me in 2019 when her health started to decline, and we spent lots of time together over those last 4 years. She still wanted to “GO!” which we did, to the extent to which her health would allow.
Helen enjoyed keeping up with what her great-nephews Matthew and Jack were doing. Matthew lives in France, so she was able to see him during vacations. Helen and Jack had a chance to get to know each other quite well in the last years of her life as Jack lives with his aunt Lisa who took care of Helen when her health started to decline.
Helen didn’t love school as a student, but recently confided that her favorite job was teaching 1st and 2nd grade at the beginning of her career. She later worked at Rich’s department store for a few years. After that she managed a warehouse (Blumenthal) in Lithia Springs, GA. In 1987 she moved to Augusta, GA to take on the challenge of owning and operating a Dairy Queen. She remembered it as the hardest job she ever did! After selling the Dairy Queen, she settled into a less stressful position at Vogue Dry Cleaners. She loved talking to customers and getting to know the regulars there.
Helen made many friends along the way, her longtime best friend and partner in crime was Barbara Worrell. When Helen said “Let’s Go” Barbara was there, ready for whatever the next adventure might be. She also had very dear friends in Augusta. One of her first friends there was Melvis Smith, who managed the bank where Helen made the daily deposits from the Dairy Queen. Later she became and remained close friends with her Vogue coworkers, Leila Sineath and Eula Bowdre.
During her time in Smyrna, Helen was extremely fortunate to have two very special caregivers, Shamekia Nash and Rose Kpadeh. Rose often stayed overnight with her which gave her peace of mind knowing that she was safe and not alone. Shamekia was like family; she would bring her hamburgers, watch Family Feud and Paternity Court with her and keep her updated on all the baseball stats. She loved them both.
Helen will always be remembered for her passion for sports, her determination, hard work, talent at storytelling, and her gregarious outgoing nature. We’ll always imagine hearing her say, “C’mon now! Let’s get this show on the road!!!”. We couldn’t have asked for a better aunt and will miss Helen every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.
Helen was preceded in death by Clara and John W. James (her parents), John E. James and Miriam Wooten, née James (her siblings) and is survived by Susan L. Dennis and Lisa A. Volentine (Richard), née Dennis (nieces), Matthew E. Iqbal and Jack R. Iqbal (great-nephews), and Lil James (sister-in-law).
A graveside service will be held at 2pm on Monday October 9th, 2023, at Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Ga.
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