HELEN PHILIMENA FRIEDEN FARNEY WENT TO BE WITH HER LORD AND SAVIOR, MAY 2, 2022 AT THE AGE OF 93 YEARS, 6 MONTHS, AND 24 DAYS. SHE WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 8TH, 1928 IN THE FAMILY HOME NORTH OF BURLINGTON, OKLAHOMA, THE 3RD CHILD OF FRIEDA AND JEFF FRIEDEN.
HELEN WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER HUSBAND, HUBER BENJAMIN, THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, PARENTS, FRIEDA AND JEFF FRIEDEN: BROTHERS, HAROLD (KEARNEY, NEBRASKA), JOE (KIOWA, KS.),AND SISTER MARIE TUCKER(KIOWA,KS.): BROTHERS IN LAW: DALE TUCKER, DWAINE REEVES, AND JEFF GROOM.
HELEN IS SURVIVED BY HER TWO CHILDREN: SON TOM AND WIFE GAY LEE (KIOWA, KS) AND DAUGHTER ALETA BANWART AND HUSBAND DON (FORT SCOTT, KS)
GRANDCHILDREN: BRANDON THOMAS(MARIANNA) FARNEY, KRISTEN JILL (EDGAR) FLAVELL (COLWICH, KS), JUSTIN RAY BANWART , ALESHA DAWN (JARED) MARTIN , FORT SCOTT, KS, AND ALYSSA LEE (LEVI), OLATHE, KS.
GREAT GRANDCHILDREN: SHANIA TRISTIN FARNEY, LIMESTONE, TN, BRIAN BENJAMIN (JENNIFER),HAZELTON, KS, JOSEPH THOMAS (MALORIE) FARNEY, SHARON, KS: BRAYDEN LEIGHTON, & CHANDLER RAY FLAVELL, COLWICH, KS,: MADELYN ALEXIS (AUSTIN)LATSHAW, KANSAS CITY, KS, EMMA ROSE, & CEDRIK JARED MARTIN ( FT SCOTT), AVA GRACE AND LILA JOANN ARNOLD, OLATHE, KS.
GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN: MANHATTAN ELAINE LATSHAW(MADELYN AND AUSTIN), AND SOPHIA MARIE FARNEY,(BRIAN AND JENNY)
HELEN IS SURVIVED BY 2 SISTERS: ROSEANN REEVES(WICHITA, KS.) AND MARILYN SUE GROOM (OREGON) AND 2 BROTHERS: IVAN JAMES (TEXAS), AND JEFFREY (HOWARD, KS). : SISTERS IN LAW: EILEEN FRIEDEN(KEARNEY, NB) AND MILDRED FRIEDEN(KIOWA,KS) AND MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
HELEN ATTENDED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND GRADUATED FROM BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL IN 1946.
AS A YOUNG WOMAN, IN HIGH SCHOOL, SHE HELPED THE NEIGHBORS BY WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN,
CLEANING THEIR HOMES ETC. FOR THE GOING RATE OF $3.OO PER WEEK. AFTER GRADUATION , SHE WAS ASKED TO DRIVE HER AUNT AND UNCLE, PETE AND MARIE FARNEY, TO ILLINOIS. WHEN THEY RETURNED HOME, HER DAD HAD A JOB WAITING FOR HER BEGINNING THE FOLLOWING MONDAY AT THE FIRST STATE BANK IN KIOWA. 1946 WAS AN IMPORTANT YEAR TO HELEN AS SHE WAS BAPTIZED IN THE APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN BURLINGTON, OK. TWO YEARS LATER SHE MARRIED HUBER BENJAMIN FARNEY, THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, AND MOVED TO THE FARNEY HOME EAST OF KIOWA.
HELEN WORKED AT THE BANK OF KIOWA , DORIS FASHION SHOP, AND FISHER-WOOD HARDWARE, WHERE SHE WAS TOP SALESWOMAN DURING CHRISTMAS AND WON A BEDROOM SUITE. LATER IN LIFE, SHE WORKED AT KIOWA HOSPITAL AS A SPECIAL, WHEN NEEDED TO CARE FOR TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS THAT NEEDED EXTRA CARE DURING THE NIGHT.
HELEN AND HUBER ENJOYED TRAVELING TOGETHER. THERE WERE MANY ROAD TRIPS, AND TRIPS TO VISIT THEIR SIBLINGS. A HIGHLIGHT WAS A MEMORABLE TRIP TO SWITZERLAND WITH ANNIE AND AARON YAUSSI(HUBER’S SISTER AND HUSBAND)
IN AUGUST 1985, HELEN AND HUBER OPENED THE COUNTRY CORRAL ANTIQUE SHOP. THEY ENJOYED ATTENDING ANTIQUE SHOWS AND AUCTIONS, COLLECTING MANY SPECIAL ITEMS TOGETHER. HELEN HAD A VAST KNOWLEDGE AND EYE FOR UNIQUE ANTIQUES AND APPRECIATED THEIR VALUE. SHE RETIRED IN 2012 AFTER HAVING OPEN HEART SURGERY.
OVER THE YEARS, SHE ENJOYED COOKING MANY MEALS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SHE COULD PUT A MEAL TOGETHER AND ON THE TABLE IN 30 MINUTES. SHE WAS A GRACIOUS HOSTESS. FOR MANY YEARS, HELEN HOSTED A CHRISTMAS BRUNCH FOR THE LADIES OF THE APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
SHE ENJOYED SHOPPING FOR OTHERS AND TAKING FOOD TO THEIR HOMES WHEN THEY WERE ILL. HELEN WAS WELL KNOW AROUND KIOWA FOR HER FAMOUS FUDGE. THOSE, LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE GIFTED WITH THE FUDGE, HAVE NOt FORGOTTEN THE DELICIOUS CONFECTION.
HELEN LOVED HER CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, BABYSITTING, ATTENDING THEIR SPORTS AND MUSICAL EVENTS. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HER TO BE PRESENT FOR HER FAMILY. SHE HAD A WAY OF MAKING EVERY DAY INTO SOMETHING FUN AND SPECIAL.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Thursday, May 5th at the Apostolic Christian Church in Ft. Scott, Kansas.
A second service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, May 6th at the Apostolic Christian Church in Kiowa, Kansas.
Private burial will take place in the Apostolic Christian Church Cemetery in Burlington, Oklahoma.
Memorials are suggested to either the Ft. Scott or Kiowa Apostolic Christian Church or to Ft. Scott Christian Heights School and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.