Helen Beech Franks of Tarboro passed away on Wednesday, June 28 at Harborview Rehab Center after a short illness.  There will be a graveside service on Saturday, July 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Bethel City Cemetery, 799 NC-11 Business, Bethel, NC.  There will be a period during the service to share memories..Pastor Larry Boone will be officiating.  After the service, family and friends are invited to gather at 2301 Fieldstone Place, Greenville for a period of fellowship. Memorials may be made to your favorite charity. The V.O.I.C.E Senior Citizens Ride Program, P.O. Box 10, Tarboro, NC 27886, provided a wonderful service for Helen.

Helen lived in Edgecombe County all 91 years of her life. She was proceeded in death by her parents, Harry and Hannah Hathaway Beech, and husband William "Monk" Franks.  She is survived by one son, Ray Franks (Judy) of Greenville, one granddaughter, Hannah Boyd (David) of Greenville, and one great grandson, Gray Boyd of Greenville.  Also a special friend, Willie Webb. Special thanks to Darlene Spencer-Harris, her caregiver, and special friend and watchful neighbor, Felicia Roebuck.

Born in 1931 in the middle of the Great Depression,Mom's first 10 years of  life were during that challenging time.  Her school years were lived outside Conetoe in a home with no electricity. The nearest thing to indoor plumbing was a hand pump on the porch between the house and the kitchen. Mom lost her father very early in life. She was influenced by a mother, Hannah Beech, who ran a 200 acre farm and a logging operation. Truly an early feminist who believed in traditional family values.  The Conetoe High  School closed at the end of her junior high school years leading to her to attend Tarboro High School where  she was a top student. Soon after her graduation my grandmother retired and built a home off St. James St. in Tarboro. After marrying my father, "Monk" Franks, she worked a few years at Hart Cotten Mill to return home and raise me. Our home was heated with a Warm Morning Coal Heater until 1964. After Dad declared he had toted his last bucket of coal with snow on it, the family purchased an oil heater. All through her adult life the family had a huge garden. That meant a lot of canning and later freezing. Each January we received a hog from the farm. It was cut up and frozen, first in the Tarboro freezer locker and later our freezer. The fat was cut off and rendered into lard. Lifestyle was ruled by the fact that the next depression may see hard times return and everyone needed to remain independent as possible. Helen's first modern device was a phone in 1950. She kept the same number for 72 years.

In 1964 while shopping for clothes at Adler's Department Store, the store owner, Mr. Hurwitz convinced Mom to bring me to the Scout troop meeting at St. James Methodist Church. I will forever be grateful to Mom for doing that. It forever set the road map for my life's preparation and future work. The BSA experience lead to every job I ever had. It also involved the entire family in a program where the family help develop many  a young man.

Only in later life did Mom learn to allow herself to spend money on her enjoyment.

A graveside service will be held July 1, 2023 at 10 AM at the Bethel City Cemetery.