Helen Louise Herod

Helen Louise was born March 22, 1931 to Jesse Eugene and Dennie Mae (Kinamon) Sartin, in Blue Ridge, Texas.  She grew up on a farm, in Princeton, with an older sister.  Helen characterized herself as a tomboy in school and broke her leg while jumping over a barrel with some boys.  Her sister, Wanda, talked her into sticking her finger in a hot biscuit.  She liked to go to town with her daddy and get candy.  Sometimes, she would eat her sister’s, and her daddy would look the other way.

Helen almost graduated from high school, but she met Eugene Pat Scalf one day in downtown McKinney.  Pat was dressed in a white shirt and leaning against a bank building.  They married in October 1948 and had three boys.  Helen wanted her boys “brought-up” like she was …in the Baptist church.  She was a stay-at-home mother and kept her boys fed, clothed and sheltered.  Pat had thirteen brothers and sisters.  Helen’s parents and grandparents had large families.  She truly loved family.

As a single-mother, Helen worked at Texas Instruments to provide for her boys.  After they grew up and left home, Helen got her GED and earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing, from Grayson College.   She became a Registered Nurse.

While attending college and living in the “little house”, Helen met Larry Gene Herod.  He was the father of three daughters. Helen and Larry had many things in common, including love of family, church, travel and cats.   They married in 1978.  Helen was the first Medical Review Analyst at Wilson N. Jones Hospital.

After Larry retired from Johnson and Johnson, he and Helen moved to Mena, AR.  Helen continued nursing and they were active in Union Mission Pentecostal Church and community service.  Helen loved to travel, from the glaciers in Alaska and the battlefields of Vicksburg to the sand dunes in Monahan, Texas.  Helen loved life and she had fun.

When she retired from nursing, she and Larry returned to McKinney.  By now, she had grandkids and great grandchildren to share life with.   She loved them all.  She loved Waddill Street Baptist Church and she like studying and preparing Sunday School lessons for the Ester class and “playing” in the flowerbeds.

She liked birds and wildlife, green grass, tall trees and blue skies.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, sister Jessie Wanda, brother Marshall Lynn, two sons Dudley Richard and Gerald Cline and two spouses.

She is survived by son Durwood Scalf and wife Gayla, grandchildren Valorie Scalf Janik Longshore and husband Dallas, Derric Scalf and wife Tamara and Gerald David Scalf.   Helen’s great grandchildren called her “Great Helen”.  They are Kinley and Christopher Janik and Weston and Collin Scalf.