Helen Joyce Jeck

life story

Wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother extraordinaire.

Loved family, loved friends, loved traveling, loved the many animals in her backyard by the river. Here she is with husband Kerry at Milford Sound in New Zealand.

Helen was born August 30, 1946 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to John and Augusta ( Graves ) Green, and died January 4, 2026. Spending her formative years in Oklahoma and Kansas, she later raised daughters Becky and Christy, and received a degree from Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado. Of the career choices she made, she was most proud of her work advocating and creating care plans for mentally ill and mentally retarded ( MI/MR ) clients, as they were commonly referred to at the time. Helen was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Michael. She is survived by husband Kerry Atchinson, brothers Edsel and Paul, daughters Becky and Christy, step-daughters KC and Liz, five grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

memorial service

A memorial for Helen

July 4, 2026

Helen had no wish for the solemnity and stuffiness of the usual memorial service. Instead we plan to honor her life at a backyard 4th of July celebration in the traditional fashion of the Atchinson family, in Wichita, KS. She loved the fireworks celebrations with her husband Kerry and family. Address will be provided later.