Hellen Lucylle Vantreese Meyer

Hellen Lucylle Vantreese Meyer flew high and free into the arms of her Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ on August 11, 2023 after a full life dedicated to the service and love of all the people who were a part of her earthly world. She never let anyone go without. Without food, clothing, encouragement, a listening ear, a birthday cake...or Santa. Throughout her life, this same consideration was readily extended to family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers she met who somehow became fast friends. Her dedication to serving people was most evidenced by the positive impacts she had on the multitudes of children she crossed paths with as a career elementary school teacher.

She was a woman of deep faith who always knew there was a way around or through any hardship. She knew God would lead her to help and show the way. Hellen had a keen intuition about people. She had a gift for nurturing people with a disability. She always seemed to know when those around her needed a kind touch. She was the first to give someone a lift by pointing out that person's best attributes.

Hellen was born in Houston, Texas on October 8, 1935, the youngest of twin girls, to John Frank and Grace Gibson Vantreese. She never failed to remind her sister, Hazel, that she was the youngest - by five minutes. Hellen grew up in Kingsville, Texas and received her degree in elementary education from Texas A&I University in 1956. Her teaching career spanned 32 years across Head Start, kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Many of these years were dedicated to teaching at-risk children whose families were often broken by abuse, neglect or substance addiction. Many lacked adequate housing. All forms of poverty - lack of food, clothing and basic hygiene - were constant daily facts of life for so many of Hellen's students. Stable home life and the love of parents were often missing. Hellen worked to fill these voids with her time and whatever resources she could muster. Several former students returned to her door as adults over many years to thank her for the boost she helped give them in early years of their often-challenging lives.

Amazingly, Hellen and her husband, William Hugo "Bill" Meyer, did not meet until after college despite the fact they both attended Texas A&I over the same years. Bill often said "everybody knew who the twins were" but that he never met Hellen while in college. At the suggestion of respective friends who happened to be dating at the time, Hellen and Bill first met in 1958 when she was a young student teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas and he was a rookie chemist at the Celanese chemical plant in Bishop, Texas. They married on June 20, 1959 in Kingsville, Texas. Theirs was an enviable 64-year, 52-day merging of two souls devoted to one another, rooted in deep faith, yet with enough space to grow and flourish as individuals. They were a team, truly helping each other manage and balance work demands and their busy home life. Over the decades they made their Texas homes in Kingsville, Bay City, Corpus Christi and finally Comfort, where Hellen lived for 36 years. Laughter and warmth were the largest furnishings in each house. Hellen loved to fill every chair at their table for any meal, or for an afternoon break of coffee or iced tea and cookies. She was the fun mom that her own two children's friends wanted to hang out with (and get spoiled by).

Hellen loved hosting and cooking meals for four or forty or baking cakes or pies to deliver to her many friends. She always kept a wooden tray in the back of her car for the ready transport of food. She loved antiquing and opened her own shop, Hellen's Primitives, upon moving to Comfort in 1987. She also loved dancing with her Bill, Doris Day movies, Nat King Cole music, romance novels, a new lipstick, bridge, poker, dominoes ("42" with her father-in-law was a particular favorite), resale shopping, big hoop earrings, multiple bracelets worn together, layering necklaces (before it was a thing), pajamas, colorful shirts, seersucker pants, Bernardo sandals and huaraches from Mexico. She could often be overheard "trash-talking" with her twin sister or friends. The sharp jabs were always playful and a fun way of telling people she loved them. She was "Miz Mey-ree" to some of her students, "Hellen with 2 Ls", and "Sister" to her Papa, John Frank Vantreese (who also often referred to his girls as "Twin" and "More Twin").

She inherited her love of Mexico from her Papa. As a young woman and into her later life, Hellen loved the food and adored the adventures to be found in that country. She would jump at a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Nuevo Laredo or a longer, planned vacation to Monterrey or the Yucatan. Through the 1960s and 1970s she would gather friends or family and drive south of the border for bargains on cartons of Virginia Slims menthol cigarettes, rum for poker and bridge night daiquiris, silver bracelets, sugar, Mexican vanilla, bolillos, basket totes, pottery, and finer goods from Marti's. Over time, her car windows became festooned with "Tourista" entry stickers.

Hellen loved the sun and water. This love she also learned from Papa. When she became a mom, she made sure that swimming was a part of her children's summertime. From classes in the Celanese company employee club with Elaine Treybig or the Bay City pool to water skiing, she was always up for anything to do with recreation on the water. Taking full advantage of Texas' Gulf Coast, many summer days were spent on Matagorda Island and Padre Island. Other summers were spent at the family lake house on Lake Corpus Christi and around neighborhood pools sunbathing (always to get those beautiful tanned legs) and swimming with friends.

Her big warm heart and natural talent for communicating with children grew exponentially with the birth of each of her grandchildren: Kasey, Kinley, Kylie and Kade. She was and will always be "Granny" to all four. She would play restaurant in her kitchen, serve coffee (with mostly cream) in their own tea cups, help them feed the concrete pig by the back door, and have art supplies at the ready for little hands to tell the stories that were in their heads. There were Mr. Bubble baths and single beds in a room of her house that were all their own. She would mail packages that might include glittery jewelry or office supplies for Kade's first desk. And always, there were trips next door to the candy store for the girls to have a "stash" while they were away at a summer camp nearby on the Guadalupe.

Hellen always chose interior and exterior colors for her home that were inspired by the warm, painted country furniture she adored. She was warm like these colors as well as modest and humble, a self-deprecating soul who could readily poke fun at herself. She was a beautiful, short-haired, blue-eyed, blonde, fun-loving woman with a quick sarcastic wit and a fantastic creative mind. Hellen will be missed deeply by all who knew and loved her. Everyone should be comforted by the incredible strength and resilience and unwavering faith she displayed as she battled her declining health.

She is survived by her husband, William Hugo (Bill) Meyer, her daughter Kimberly Ann Meyer Johnson (Clem), her son William Mark Meyer (Kimberly), her grandchildren; Kasey Meyer Hazlewood (Graham), Kinley Meyer Bates (Will), Kylie M. Meyer, and William Kaden Meyer; her nieces Grace Coon (Joey) and Yvonne Coon. Hellen is preceded in death by her parents and her twin sister Hazel Louise Vantreese Coon.

Hellen's family would like to express their deep appreciation to: Malee Banse, Sulema Chacon, Marsha Curry, Brenda Pruitt, Garner Rice, Reverend Katie Rode, Sally Rodriguez, Caylie Triplett, Ada Sandavol and Madge Vancura for their care, humor and compassion during the last years and months of Hellen's life.

A memorial worship service will be held Saturday, September 16, 2023 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Comfort, Texas. The service will begin at 10:00 am followed by a celebration of life reception in the adjacent church fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Hellen's Children c/o Immanuel Lutheran Church, 318 High Street, Comfort, Texas, 78013.