Leonard E. Helvenston's Obituary
Services celebrating the life of Leonard Edward Helvenston will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, March 16, at Winterfield Methodist Church with the Reverend Michael Lindstrom officiating. Visitation will be at Rader Funeral Home from 10:00-11:30AM on Saturday, March 15, followed by graveside services at Stewart Community Cemetery on Farm Road 782 at 2:30 PM under the direction of Rader Funeral Home of Longview.
Born July 8, 1921, in Tatum, Texas, to Alan N. and Effie Helvenston, Leonard graduated from Tatum High School in 1938 and attended Sam Houston State College before enlisting in the U.S. Army in October 1939. He trained at bases in Galveston and San Diego before serving a tour of active duty in the European theatre. During battle, he earned the Europe, Africa, and Mideast Campaign Medal with one bronze star and the Good Conduct Medal. At the time of his discharge in September 1945, Leonard was serving with Troop A, 32nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron M.
After returning to East Texas, Leonard held positions with Sunnyland Dairy and Sears before joining the U.S. Postal Service in 1949. He began his career as a mail carrier and progressed to superintendent of mails at the downtown Longview office, the Greggton office, and the Mobberly Avenue office. In his last years of service, he carried the mail for Rural Route 5 of Longview, a job he especially enjoyed because he came to know his postal customers as friends. After thirty-two years of loyal service to the post office, he pursued his passion, working on his farm and with his cattle full time. Leonard was an avid student of the Bible, teaching Sunday school classes and enjoying participation in other church activities. Throughout his life, he loved sports, especially football and baseball, the sports he had played as a youth. He was an avid reader of any text from the daily newspaper to history and popular fiction. Leonard was especially proud of his two grandsons and was eager to brag about them to all of his friends.
Mr. Helvenston is survived by his loving wife of sixty years, Lois Graham Helvenston of Longview; two daughters and sons-in-law, Kathy and James Williams of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; and Kay and John Ray of Longview; two grandsons, Jonathan G. Williams of Frisco, and Chris Ray of Fort Worth; a niece, Sue Stilley of Wichita Falls; a nephew, Jack York of Tatum; and many lifelong, dear friends. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Evelyn York, Clarice Garrett, and Kathleen Helvenston, all of Tatum.
Mr. Helvenston?s family extends heartfelt gratitude to Dr. John Greifenkamp, Dr. Bill Perkins, Dr. Timothy Howes, the nursing staff at Longview Regional Hospital and the staff of Hospice Longview for their faithful and gentle care.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials for Mr. Helvenston be made to the American Heart Association, 1125 Judson Road, Longview, Texas 75601; Hospice of Longview, 1306 Pine Tree Road, Longview, Texas 75604; or the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc., P. O. Box 3268, Longview, Texas, 75606.
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