Having achieved her lifelong goal of being older than dirt, Helen Waller, 102, had a laundry list of equally important achievements to accomplish, yet her heart valves disagreed on July 7.
Helen never met a dessert she didn’t like and attributes her longevity to hard work (makes sense) and eating everything you’re not supposed to eat (please don’t). We fear Splenda stock will soon plummet. She was hilarious, stubborn and had a memory to rival Google. She read the paper every day (her two favorite sections being the obits and funnies). Her favorite animal was a baby calf and she never met a plant she couldn’t revive. She loved to cook and talk about food. If you never had her homemade chicken and noodles, then you simply haven’t lived. Eischen’s fried chicken was also a favorite.
On April 29, 1920, Helen was born to Frank & Ethel Tharp on a farm near Reeding, Oklahoma, (purchased by her grandparents – George and Maude Kelsey – by selling watermelons and sorghum). She soon had three brothers (Ralph, Bob, and Cecil) to watch over. When asked about her time growing up, she mostly spoke of work yet enjoyed her brothers’ ice cream eating contests (Ralph always won). She graduated from Piedmont High School and took the trollies in downtown Oklahoma City to attend Hills Business University.
She married Wesley Waller on April 18, 1942, and helped him farm as a result of his father’s early death. She knew all about wheat and got up each morning at 4 a.m. to milk the cows before coming back to the house to make breakfast.
The late 1970s, 80s and the majority of the 90s were filled with travels throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Her travels often included their motorhome and one or more of her brothers/sisters-in-law. She often visited relatives and hit as many national and state parks as possible. February and October/November were their favorite months to travel.
Helen drove a car until she was 95 and lived in her house on her own until she was 97. She had several surgeries in her late 90s and spent weeks recovering in skilled nursing. She was much like a Timex watch -she takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It was during one of those recovery periods that she decided to move into Saint Ann’s Assisted Living. That became her home for her final five years and she loved the people and staff that worked there.
Those that pre-croaked Helen – husband, Wesley; parents, Frank and Ethel Tharp; brothers, Ralph, Bob and Cecil; sisters-in-law, son-in-law, Lester Pyle; and many other family and friends.
People left with a pulse include daughter, Mary Pyle; granddaughter, Kelsey Pyle; grandson-in-law, Jon Tatum; faithful family friends, Fred and Snow Pyle; nieces/nephews; and three great-grandcats, Dolly, Domino and Loretta.
Helen died on the same land she was born on and will be greatly missed. Viewing will be Friday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Services will be on Saturday, July 16, at 11 a.m. at Yanda & Son Funeral Home in Yukon, Oklahoma.
