Helen Yole

life story

Loving Mother, Accomplished Artist and Friend to Many

In loving memory of a special woman who was always there for her family and her many friends. Her inquisitive and creative spirit will live on forever!

About Helen

Helen was the youngest of 6 children, growing up on a farm in upstate New York. She was raised with a love for the outdoors and adventure. She and her siblings grew up taking cross-country camping trips and swimming in the finger lakes, not matter how cold the water was. They also loved all winter sports including sledding, skiing, skating and snow shoeing. Helen passed this love of the outdoors to her children, with many family ski trips and ocean get-a-ways. Her biggest gift was passing on her love of water. Swimming and picnics on the beach were a regular event for her family. Her favorite food was hot dogs cooked over a bonfire on the beach. Because she was raised on a farm without processed food, hot dogs were always a special treat to her.

Helen went to Buffalo Teachers College, specializing in art, where she met some of her life-long friends. Art has always been her passion. She was consistently on the dean's list. She continued her art education throughout her life, attending many college courses and devouring books on art technique. She was an accomplished artist in watercolor, collage, and print making. Helen loved sharing what she learned through teaching and most recently with her favorite art group that she met with twice a week in Austin.

Helen married when she was 22 and devoted her time to raising her children. Supporting her husband’s career, she moved to Florida and was at NASA during the early stages of space exploration. The family then moved back to Rochester, New York and then Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. In Dallas she was an active member of her church and neighborhood association. She lived in the Dallas area for over 30 years and formed some of her closest friendships there.

Helen was always drawn to the beauty of Austin and the hill country. She moved to Austin when her children were grown. She wanted to be closer to her daughter and her grandchildren. Helen had a very special relationship with all her grandchildren. She loved to cook and do art projects with them. Baking pumpkin pie with them was an ongoing tradition. She became an expert on texting and emojis to stay in touch with them as they grew up.

Helen will be remembered most for her love of learning, love of other people and eye for beauty. Helen loved to learn about other cultures. Her bookshelves were always filled with books about other countries. She loved documentaries and foreign movies, especially from India.

Helen made friends wherever she went. She met one of her best friends on a flight to Michigan. She loved to learn about other people and their experiences. She was a great listener and always there for people when they needed to share during a tough time or to celebrate great times. Her honest interest in people made strangers genuine lifelong friends.

Helen saw beauty in everything. When you were with her, she would stop at the most unexpected moments to point out some amazing pattern, color or texture that the rest of us would miss. We used to tease her because she was always collecting rocks. She passed this sense of beauty on to her family. On a regular basis, her children and grandchildren would send her pictures of something they thought was beautiful for painting inspiration. Helen would spend hours studying and appreciating the photos. To this day, when we see something beautiful, it is hard not to take a picture to send to her.

Helen will be very missed. She is the first one we would call with good news and bad. She always answered, no matter what she was doing. She always took the time to support us and listen. She was the foundation of our family. We will always feel her presence.

Helen was preceded in death by her father William Cook, mother Marjorie Vreeland, brothers Deane and Jim Cook, sisters Julie Bennett and Betty Johns. Helen is survived by her sister Madeline Lawrance, brother-in-law Bob Lawrence, her children, Jody Lockwood, Fred Yole and Jennifer Yole and grandchildren Ethan Lockwood, Katie Lockwood, Riley Steinley and Peyton Steinley.

The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff at hospice Austin‘s Christopher house.

At Helen‘s request, there will be a private family celebration of life. Hotdogs will be served on the beach :)

memorial service

A Private Family Service will be Held in Michigan

Helen asked not to have a service. Her family will be honoring her memory at her favorite beach in Michigan with a private family gathering.