1913
Helen
2011
Helen Kellon Carr
December 28, 1913 — July 14, 2011
Los Fresnos/La Vernia, TX:
Helen Kellon Moncrief Milum Carr passed away on July 14, 2011 at the age of 97. Kellon, the daughter of Glenn Bennett and Ila Rowena Lyons Moncrief was born on December 28, 1913 in the home of her maternal grandparents in the community of Bingen, Howard County, Arkansas.
The family moved from Arkansas to Louisiana, where Kellon began her long journey with her Lord and Savior at a tent meeting, where she was baptized and joined the Methodist Church. The Moncrief’s, a railroad family, moved to the Rio Grande Valley in October, 1929, via a Missouri Pacific passenger train. Kellon attended high school in Mission, Olmito, and finally Brownsville where she met her first husband.
Over the following three years, she became the proud mother of three children, Ila Beth, Roy, and Coy (identical twins). The young marriage did not survive the Great Depression and the 1933 hurricane, so Kellon and the children moved back into her parents’ home (which included the Missouri Pacific Depot in Progresso, TX). In 1936, she met a bachelor named Jim Carr, who was a co-worker in the citrus industry in Weslaco. Kellon was proud to be a packer of Texas citrus. Throughout her life, she knowingly ate no citrus unless it was Valley Citrus. Kellon became Mrs. Jim Carr, on May 5, 1938, at her parent’s home in Olmito, with Rev Wendel Carr (Jim’s brother) presiding. The family was joined by another daughter, also named Helen Kellon, in 1939. The family moved from Weslaco to Bayview in 1942 and was increased by one more daughter before moving into Los Fresnos in 1947, where the door was always open to their children’s friends and one more potato would be added to the pot if the friends stayed for supper. If there was a young man in uniform, within Kellon’s vision, he was welcomed into the family with loving arms.
After all the children, except the youngest, was gone from home, she went to work in the Los Fresnos School cafeteria, increasing the number of loved children by the number who went through the food line each day. After Jim passed away in 1971, Kellon became an Avon Lady, at which she excelled for 25 years. She lived in the same house for 56 ½ years, in the community she loved. After declining health and low vision forced her to give up living alone, she remained a resident of Los Fresnos, making her home with her daughter-in-law, Ruby Moses Milum and daughter Helen Hicks, until 2007 when she moved to LaVernia, TX.
Kellon was preceded in death by her husband, James Thomas Carr; her parents; four brothers, (Orlando, Herbert, Emory, and Thomas); four children, Ila Beth Dietz, Roy Milum, Coy Milum, and Helen Hicks; and one grandson, Ron Dietz.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Marcus and Merle Gaughler Moncrief of Taft, TX, her youngest daughter, Darla Jean and husband Pete Donahoe, daughters-in-law, Ruby Moses Milum, Sandra Barnes Milum, and son-in-law Donald R. Dietz, Sr. She is also survived by 16 grandchildren: Deborah Milum Maze (Gary), Janet Milum Mehaffie (Mike), Rhonda Milum Jones (Clifton), Roy “Rocky” Milum (Tammie), Don Dietz, Jr (Tyane), Tammie Dietz Sineni (Michael), Gary Milum (Joanna), Mark Milum (Shannon), Melanie Milum McCormick (Bill), Mark Stacey (Shelia), Julienne Stacey Love, Becky Stacey Miller (James), Kellie Hicks Finch (Travis), Keith Donahoe (Ann), Kevin Donahoe, James Donahoe (Dana). In addition, she is survived by 32 great grandchildren, 11 great, great grand children, numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 22, 2011 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the family receiving friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 23, 2011, 10 a.m., at the Los Fresnos United Methodist Church with Rev. David Payne officiating. Burial will follow at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
For those desiring to do so, the family requests memorial contribution be made to the Guadalupe Regional Hospice, 1215 E. Court St., Seguin, TX 78155 or the First United Methodist of Los Fresnos, P.O. Box 518, Los Fresnos, Texas 78566.
Helen Kellon Moncrief Milum Carr passed away on July 14, 2011 at the age of 97. Kellon, the daughter of Glenn Bennett and Ila Rowena Lyons Moncrief was born on December 28, 1913 in the home of her maternal grandparents in the community of Bingen, Howard County, Arkansas.
The family moved from Arkansas to Louisiana, where Kellon began her long journey with her Lord and Savior at a tent meeting, where she was baptized and joined the Methodist Church. The Moncrief’s, a railroad family, moved to the Rio Grande Valley in October, 1929, via a Missouri Pacific passenger train. Kellon attended high school in Mission, Olmito, and finally Brownsville where she met her first husband.
Over the following three years, she became the proud mother of three children, Ila Beth, Roy, and Coy (identical twins). The young marriage did not survive the Great Depression and the 1933 hurricane, so Kellon and the children moved back into her parents’ home (which included the Missouri Pacific Depot in Progresso, TX). In 1936, she met a bachelor named Jim Carr, who was a co-worker in the citrus industry in Weslaco. Kellon was proud to be a packer of Texas citrus. Throughout her life, she knowingly ate no citrus unless it was Valley Citrus. Kellon became Mrs. Jim Carr, on May 5, 1938, at her parent’s home in Olmito, with Rev Wendel Carr (Jim’s brother) presiding. The family was joined by another daughter, also named Helen Kellon, in 1939. The family moved from Weslaco to Bayview in 1942 and was increased by one more daughter before moving into Los Fresnos in 1947, where the door was always open to their children’s friends and one more potato would be added to the pot if the friends stayed for supper. If there was a young man in uniform, within Kellon’s vision, he was welcomed into the family with loving arms.
After all the children, except the youngest, was gone from home, she went to work in the Los Fresnos School cafeteria, increasing the number of loved children by the number who went through the food line each day. After Jim passed away in 1971, Kellon became an Avon Lady, at which she excelled for 25 years. She lived in the same house for 56 ½ years, in the community she loved. After declining health and low vision forced her to give up living alone, she remained a resident of Los Fresnos, making her home with her daughter-in-law, Ruby Moses Milum and daughter Helen Hicks, until 2007 when she moved to LaVernia, TX.
Kellon was preceded in death by her husband, James Thomas Carr; her parents; four brothers, (Orlando, Herbert, Emory, and Thomas); four children, Ila Beth Dietz, Roy Milum, Coy Milum, and Helen Hicks; and one grandson, Ron Dietz.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Marcus and Merle Gaughler Moncrief of Taft, TX, her youngest daughter, Darla Jean and husband Pete Donahoe, daughters-in-law, Ruby Moses Milum, Sandra Barnes Milum, and son-in-law Donald R. Dietz, Sr. She is also survived by 16 grandchildren: Deborah Milum Maze (Gary), Janet Milum Mehaffie (Mike), Rhonda Milum Jones (Clifton), Roy “Rocky” Milum (Tammie), Don Dietz, Jr (Tyane), Tammie Dietz Sineni (Michael), Gary Milum (Joanna), Mark Milum (Shannon), Melanie Milum McCormick (Bill), Mark Stacey (Shelia), Julienne Stacey Love, Becky Stacey Miller (James), Kellie Hicks Finch (Travis), Keith Donahoe (Ann), Kevin Donahoe, James Donahoe (Dana). In addition, she is survived by 32 great grandchildren, 11 great, great grand children, numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 22, 2011 from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the family receiving friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 23, 2011, 10 a.m., at the Los Fresnos United Methodist Church with Rev. David Payne officiating. Burial will follow at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
For those desiring to do so, the family requests memorial contribution be made to the Guadalupe Regional Hospice, 1215 E. Court St., Seguin, TX 78155 or the First United Methodist of Los Fresnos, P.O. Box 518, Los Fresnos, Texas 78566.
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