Myra Jane Helms

MYRA JANE HELMS, 84, of Milton, Florida died peacefully in her home on Monday, September 27th after a courageous battle with cancer.
Myra was born to the late Robert and Janie Peterman, March 2nd, 1937, in Parkersburg West Virginia, where she spent most of her childhood, moving her senior year to Pensacola, Florida. There she attended Pensacola High School, graduating in 1954. Following high school, Myra attended Florida State University, earning a BS in Business Education in 1959. After graduating from FSU, Myra worked as teacher in the Business Department at Milton High School until she married Bawsey Mack Helms Jr in 1960.
Myra was a devoted wife and mother and spent the next several years after marriage starting a family and raising her four children Mack, Jeff, Jane, and Anne. She went back to teaching in 1968 at Locklin Vocational Technical College where she taught for 25 years, receiving the Teacher of the Year Award for the 1982/83 school year.
Myra had a great love for music and was a gifted musician, playing the violin and piano. She was an especially talented violinist and played in two symphony orchestras before she was 19 years old; the West Virginia Symphony (Parkersburg) and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra.
Myra was adventurous and her love for horses led her to compete in Barrel Racing competitions as a teenager. She owned horses throughout most of her life. Faith was important to Myra, who was a devoted member of her church for over 40 years where she met many lifelong friends.
Myra and Mack owned a working farm throughout most of their marriage with over 100 head of cattle, chickens, bird dogs and always horses. They grew 75% of everything they ate, which meant that Myra spent tireless hours in the kitchen. She became an expert at canning home grown vegetables and was also a fabulous cook, making incredible meals for her family. Those who knew her well said that she could cook anything. She also had a great passion for beautiful flowers and landscaping and became quite the expert. As a result, her flower gardens were a delight to family and friends.
Myra and Mack had an incredible retirement. They traveled the country in their motorhome, visiting friends and grandchildren and checking things off their bucket list. They eventually purchased a waterfront lot on Lake Talquin in Tallahassee, Florida and built a home where they spent their days enjoying fishing, boating and sunsets, with trips to their time share in Destin and visiting grandchildren.
Myra was a cherished wife, mother and grandmother and will be sorely missed by those that she left behind. Myra was preceded in death by her parents Robert Peterman and Janie Tickle Peterman of Pensacola, Florida, and her son in law Don Sandaal. Myra is survived by her husband of 61 ½ years, Bawsey Mack Helms Jr, her children Bawsey Mack Helms III (June), Jeffrey Craig Helms (Teresa), Jane Helms Smedley (Clay), Anne Helms Sandaal, grandchildren Jacqueline Helms, Mack Helms, Caleb Helms, Luke Helms, Mickela Helms, Katelynn Smedley, Cordero Smedley, Christina Smedley, Alexandra Helms, Zach Helms, Kendall Helms, Mira Helms, Kaleb Sandaal, Trenton Sandaal, Joshua Sandaal and her brother Robert Peterman.
Funeral service will be held at Trahan Family Funeral Home of Milton, FL. 6539 Trammel Drive Milton, Fl. on Sunday, October 3rd with visitation at 1:00 and service to follow at 2:00.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org