Helen Louise Duffield

Helen Duffield was born on May 17, 1920 and died March 27, 2017, of natural causes. She was born in Winchester, Idaho, and raised in Yakima, Washington, where she met and married Russ Duffield. They married in 1937 and were together for 74 years until Russ's death in 2012. She was a homemaker on the family farm that her father-in-law started in 1910. She started to work for the Moxee School District in 1951 and was the food service supervisor at the time of her retirement in the early 80's. Later she worked in the Agriculture Building at the Central Washington State Fair where she worked for over 10 years and was honored with a life time fair pass from the fair grounds. She has 2 children, 6 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren. She is survived by her son Dennis of Moxee (wife Opal) and daughter Carol (late husband Jack) of Gresham Oregon, along with many other members of her family and special friends Vera Coleman and Zee Carlstrom. She is preceded in death by her parents John and Alice Nelson, her sister Doris Nelson, infant son Billy, and infant great grand-daughter, Morgan Duffield.
Helen was a member of the East Valley Reformed Church and belonged to several clubs and organizations. These included the horticulture club of Yakima, (for over 70 years), Horseless Carriage Club, the Wenamonas, Ag Museum, and the Wazona Camper Club.
One of Helen's favorite pastimes was camping and traveling in the motorhome. She and her husband traveled to Daytona, Florida, every year for 6 years. After the drive became too much to bear, they started traveling to Arizona every year for 3 years. They had been to every US State except four, every Canadian Province, and traveled all the way to Puerto Vallarta in the motorhome. Russ and Helen made many friends in their travels.
Helen was very involved in the Grange and held several positions including Pomona Master, Terrace Heights Grange Master, and Washington State Lecturer. She enjoyed the degree work but enjoyed the people most of all.
Russ and Helen enjoyed playing cards with their neighbors Ken and Gen Duffield, whom just happen to be brother and sister-in-law and all lived on Duffield Acres. The four of them were inseparable from the time of their younger dating years running around together till their later years going to grange, camping, or playing cards.
In her younger years she was an excellent seamstress. She made all of her own clothes as well as her daughter's school clothes and daughter-in-law's maternity clothes. The families was always taking clothing to her to be hemmed or altered or just have a patch sewn in over a hole in the knee of a pair of jeans.
She stayed busy and did not stop traveling after Russ's death. Several times a year she would go on family vacations to her grandson Eric and granddaughter-in-law Lisa's beach house in Ocean Park, Washington. She had her own special chair there where she would sit and look out at the ocean through the front window. She enjoyed watching the kids run around and had some great conversations with family and friends. Occasionally we would all get in the car and head to Long Beach for shopping, dinner and/or ice cream.
She also traveled with her best friend Vera Coleman, whom was also a widow. They met in 1956 and belonged to several clubs together and even worked together at the Ag Museum. At age 94 Helen and Vera planned a trip to Alaska on a Cruise. Together they had the time of their lives. Vera was a great friend to Helen (thank you Vera for loving her as much as we did).
Thank you to all of Helen's family and friends who continued to pick her up and include her in their club functions and get-togethers, or pick her up every Thursday at 4:30 to get her hair done. Also, thank you Yakima Valley Memorial Hospice and Jeannie, her nurse. Also, to Landmark Care Center, where she spent two months for physical therapy; thank you for getting her well so she could come home to where she wanted to be.
Helen passed away not only in her home, but in the same room where her husband Russ was born and passed away in. She was surrounded by her family and will truly be missed by all whom had the pleasure of knowing her.