Helen J. Felton

Helen J. (Foster) Felton, 92, of Lewisburg, Ohio passed away peacefully Saturday morning, February 26, 2011. Born in Lewisburg, Ohio on September 21, 1918 to Effie (Smith) and Charles Vernon Foster. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 56 years, M. Heber Felton in 2001, brothers Robert and Lawrence (infant) Foster, nephew William Foster and niece Jean Ann (Foster) Brinker.

She is survived by daughters Rebecca F. Spear (Lee), Barbara J. Felton, nephew Robert J. Foster (Joyce), great nieces Erin Michels, Kahla Jourdan, Donna Potter, Beth Westmoreland, Cindy Jones and great nephew Scott Brinker as well as great-great nieces and nephews.

Helen lived in the house where she was born until the age of 8. At that time, her family moved to a new home, built by her father, an uncle and a local carpenter. A saw mill was moved to the farm and the lumber for framing this home was sawed from Sycamore trees from the farm. With the exception of her years at Earlham and Ohio State, she lived in this house since 1926. The family farm has been in Helen’s family since 1804.

After graduating from The Ohio State University in 1940, Helen taught high school in Celina, OH (1 yr), Brookville, OH (1 yr) and in Lewisburg (28 yrs). At various points in her career, she taught Chemistry, Biology, Home Economics and Work Experience. She retired from Twin Valley Schools in 1980. Throughout her teaching career and especially after her retirement, she found great joy in hearing from her former students.

On January 7, 1945, she married M. Heber Felton. Heber and Helen were actively involved in many organizations throughout their lives. Jointly, they were honored as “Senior Citizens of the Year” in 1995 by the Preble County Council on Aging for their combined and individual involvement in many organizations in the community.

Helen’s activities throughout her life were many and varied. The common theme in her life was service to her church and community. She was a life-long member of the Lewisburg United Methodist Church. During her youth, Helen was a member of 4-H. While at Ohio State, she was a member of the State Fair Junior Fair Board and was awarded a Danforth Scholarship to attend the American Youth Foundation’s Camp Miniwanca in Michigan. In 1959, she was elected to the Lewisburg Board of Education. (It wasn’t too common for a female to be elected to this type of position in 1959. According to the newspaper article, she received the most votes of the 5 candidates running for 2 positions on the Board.)

She served 20 years as a Key Person of the Otterbein Lebanon Auxiliary (representative from Memorial United Methodist Church), Preble County Mental Health and Recovery Board, Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council (9 County Board), Preble County Council on Aging Board, Lewisburg and Preble County Historical Societies, OSU Extension Advisory Board, 65 year member of Ideal Chapter #293 of Eastern Star, Preble County Retired Teachers, Delta Kappa Gamma, Altruian Club and United Methodist Women. She served on several committees for the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church as well as District Committees for the United Methodist Church.

She was known for her cooking and seamstress talents and she was often referred to as the Lewisburg “Historian” due to her heritage. She was one of several interviewed for the Harrison Township section of the Preble County Bicentennial history book.

Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at the Lewisburg Word of Faith Church, 400 N. Commerce St., Lewisburg, OH. Interment will be held in Mound Hill Cemetery, Eaton, OH. Family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 4 – 7 P.M. at Barnes Funeral Home, 411 N. Commerce St., Lewisburg, OH and one hour prior to service at the church on Wednesday.

Memorial Contributions may be made to to Preble County Senior Meals and Lewisburg Fire and Rescue. Condolences may be sent to the family via the Web site at www.barnesfuneralhome.com