Helen Tester

1950 - 2025

It is with profound sadness that we share the sudden passing of The Rev. Dr. Helen Louise Whitener Tester (75) of Hickory, NC on Sunday, August 3rd, 2025.

Helen was born to Thomas Manly Whitener Sr. and Sophie Bonham (Egleston) Whitener on May 6, 1950. She spent her childhood in the company of her siblings Ann, Manly Jr., and brother (Bill) William as well as her niece the Rev. Elizabeth ("Ibba" Peden) Tappe. As a young adult, Helen was an instrumental leader in the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. In 1974, she was appointed the Diocesan Youth Advisor and created programming for Camp Henry and the Valle Crucis Conference Center including, but not limited to, the Summer Youth Program which helped to revitalize the Mission School (as it was known at the time). She was an avid participant in community theatre, performing in lead roles such as Nancy in Oliver!, Peter Pan in Peter Pan, and the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods. She received her Bachelor's degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University, her Master's degree in Counseling from Appalachian State University, and her Doctorate of Ministry degree from Virginia Theological Seminary. Helen served as Director of Chaplaincy for Hospice Ministries for several locations in Mississippi from 1996-2000 and as the Director of the HOPE Women's Psychiatric Program in Hendersonville, NC from 1991-1995. Helen was an Episcopal priest serving most recently as interim at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Boone, NC. Helen's priesthood extended to dioceses in several states including Mississippi, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. She especially loved presiding alongside her beloved husband, The Rev. Dr. Charles Kamper Floyd, Jr. until his death in 2020. (We fondly referred to them as "two priests in a pod."). Helen is survived by her daughters Sarah Farthing Tester and The Rev. Elizabeth Bonham Tester, half-sister Susan Esher, her step-children Susan Margaret Floyd, Catherine Floyd Hampton, Charles Kamper Floyd, III, and Mary Lila Davis. There are numerous beloved grandchildren, but she had the pleasure of spending significant time with her two youngest, Ezekiel Jameth Tester-Rozo and Miriam Noami Tester-Rozo, when she returned to her beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.

The family is planning a Celebration of Life weekend retreat at the Valle Crucis Conference Center Friday September 26th - Sunday September 28th, 2025. Weekend long stays or drop-ins are both welcome. The intention is to create a time for stories to be told, photos and memories to be shared, and to have a celebration with as much joy and exuberance as Helen experienced in life herself. Reservations for the whole weekend, specific nights, or just meals can be made through the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Please call (828) 963-4453 or email director@vcconferences.org for more information. Memorials in memory of Helen can be made to the Valle Crucis Conference Center (https://vcconferences.org/) or to the Camp Henry Annual Fund or for Camp Henry Scholarships (https://www.lakelogan.org/give/). Condolences can be sent directly to the family via Sarah Tester at 1061 Regent Road Unit 603 Oconomowoc, WI 53066.