On August 5, 2022, Helen Grace Edwards peacefully passed away of old age in Lehi, Utah, just 3 weeks before her 96th birthday.
Helen was born on August 25, 1926 and was the first child born to David Smith Edwards and Tessie Leaver Smith Edwards. She had one sister, Alice Laurene Edwards Whale Oakley. All of her immediate family members preceded her in death. Helen never married. She is survived by two nephews Robert (LaRae) Whale of Alpine, UT and , Dave (Mary Ann) Whale of Raleigh, NC. She also had six grand-nieces and grand-nephews as well as twenty-two great grand-nieces and great grand-nephews.
Helen lived almost all of her life in Salt Lake City, Utah. She grew up on “the Avenues” at 68 ‘P’ Street and lived there with her parents. Helen moved to Los Angeles for a couple of years in the early 60’s for a change of pace but then returned to ‘P’ Street. She and her parents moved to Taylorsville, UT around 1980 where she lived until after both of her parents died. In the early 1990s Helen moved into Friendship Manor in Salt Lake City. Because of declining health Helen moved to Bellaview Assisted Living in Lehi, UT in 2020.
Helen was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints her entire life.
Helen attended East High in Salt Lake City. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1948 with a degree in Elementary Education.
Her occupations included teaching Elementary School and being a librarian.
She loved reading, particularly books about the Civil War, World War II, and U.S. History. The family expresses thanks to the staff at Bellaview who took such good care of Helen during her final years and also to the members of her ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who brightened her days with their visits and served her so unselfishly.
