Helena Barwell Hagood

HAGOOD, Helena Entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, January 21, 2009, Helena Barwell Hagood, widow of Col. Johnson Hagood, Jr. of Charleston, SC. The relatives and friends of Mrs. Helena B. Hagood are invited to attend her funeral service at 1:00 PM Saturday, January 24, 2009 at the James A. McAlister Chapel, 1620 Savannah Hwy. She was born in Barranca Bermeja, Colombia, the daughter of William Barwell and Maria Cruz Badillo Barwell. After her father's death, she had to leave school early to help support her family. Widowed from her first husband, Abrahan Tayeh, she supported both her mother and her daughter. She became the manager of a successful import/export business in Barranquilla, Colombia for many years before joining Sears, Roebuck Co., where she was head cashier, division manager and clothing buyer. There she met Col. Johnson Hagood, Jr. (USA Ret.), who was a Sears executive. They married and had three sons. In 1968, Col. Hagood retired and the family relocated to Elloree, South Carolina, and later to Charleston. She was a devoted and tireless caregiver to her husband in the years before his death from Alzheimer's in 1993. She has been a dear friend to many in Charleston, especially in her beloved Latino community. Though she loved her adopted country, she remained staunchly loyal to her native Colombia. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, a skilled seamstress, a prolific gardener, a delightful storyteller, and a gifted and generous cook. She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Paula T. Hughson of Albuquerque, NM, her sons Johnson Hagood III and Robert B. Hagood of Charleston, and James S. Hagood of Birmingham, Alabama, as well as 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family requested memorials be made to the Alzheimer's Association, SC Chapter, PO Box 80459, Charleston, SC 29416-0459 or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Palmetto Chapter, 3608 Landmark Dr., Suite C, Columbia, SC 29204 Arrangements by JAMES A. McALISTER, INC. 766-1365. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.