Magdeline Helms
Magdeline Majette Helms was born on January 24, 1950, in Conway, North Carolina, the only child to the union of Haywood and Inez Deloatch-Majette. She accepted Christ at an early age and was a member of Allen Chapel A.M.E. church in Jackson, North Carolina.
Magdeline, or affectionately known as "Magde", graduated from Willis Hare High School in 1968. By 1969, Magde had moved to Queens, New York and found work at Goodfriends Department Store. It is there where fate allowed her to meet her lifelong friend and future husband, George Edward Helms, who had moved from Arkansas that same year.
George and Magdeline were inseparable. Magdeline was always a kind and loving woman. She found herself to be a natural nurturing Mother to George's 6 yr old twin daughters, Sheila and Cecelia. In 1973, George, Madgeline, and the girls moved from New York back to Arkansas. George and Magde were united in wedded bliss on September 1, 1973. To this joyful union, two more children were added to their family, two sons, Jeffery and Marcus.
Madgeline loved the Lord and found a new church home in Arkadelphia attending Shady Grove A.M. E. church. She was a country girl at heart who loved and appreciated God's work of nature. She loved being outdoors gardening, planting, and maintaining her flowers, watching birds, and even putting up bird feeders. She was a gentle and caring woman who always put God first and cherished her family with everything in her. She found joy in caring for her family and so many others as well she treated as her own family, deeming her the neighborhood Mother. Her smile would light up a room. Her calming voice and welcoming spirit radiated wherever she went comforting anyone around her.
On November 8, 2024, Magdeline Helms slipped to eternal rest at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her parents. She leaves to forever cherish her precious memory: her devoted husband of 55 years, George E. Helms; her sons, Jeffery and Marcus Helms (Marlysha); her daughters, Sheila Denise and Cecelia Jenise Helms; her grandchildren, Lamar, Aaron, Antonio, and Antonette Helms; brother-in-law, Charles Helms (Angela); sister-in-law, Vernance "Bonnie" Helms; and a host of extended relatives from the Helms, Deloatch, and Majette family.
Services are under the direction of Mitchell Funeral Home of Arkadelphia, AR. Graveside services will be Friday, November 15, 2024, at Shady Grove A.M.E. Cemetery in Arkadelphia at 11:00 A.M. with Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd, Jr. serving as officiant and eulogist. Burial and final resting place will be in Shady Grove A.M. E. Cemetery
