Lakeland - Born January 3, 1925, Helen Oliver Harper, 81, died on Thanksgiving, November 23, 2006 at Carpenters Estate in Lakeland.

A native of Baldwin, Florida, Helen graduated from Stetson College and Florida State. During World War II, she met and married US Navy Lieutenant Roger K. Harper in 1946, and moved to Chicago, where they raised a family. She earned an education degree from Elmhurst College and taught fifth grade in Lombard, Illinois.

Upon their retirement, Helen and Roger moved to Winter Haven, Florida to help care for Helen's sister Hazel and her mother Mamie and to be closer to her siblings and their families. Those are the simple facts. But Helen came from a family of storytellers and loved to tell them as well as listen to good ones. She was a tomboy in Baldwin and learned to climb trees and the roof of her house to get out of harm's way, and thought going barefoot in the Depression was only natural. To the end of her life, she enjoyed playing the piano for herself and others. Helen liked to tease and to be teased. She loved to laugh and took great pleasure in verbal wit and physical humor. She relished the story of a college friend whose father didn't understand why she didn't do exactly what he told her. "I'd love to, Daddy, but you know, I'm a fun girl." The same could be said for Helen. She was also a hard worker and, in her own way, a canny investor, who learned the value of real estate early in life. She was an avid reader who encouraged others' curiosity and imagination. Helen was a caretaker and a caregiver, doing for others when they were not able to do for themselves. One of her favorite expressions was "can't never did anything."

Helen is survived by her children: John, Ann, and Ken, and their families, as well as her dear niece Linda and her family. She was "Helen" to her husband, siblings and friends, "Mom" to her children, and "Grandma" or "Go-go" to her grandchildren, and "dear" to one and all.