Taylor Funeral Home of Louisville announces the death and funeral services of Mrs. Helen K. Moxley, age 95 of Moxley who died Friday morning December 28, 2018 in the University Hospital.

Funeral services will be held 3:00 PM Monday, December 31, in the Moxley United Methodist Church with Rev. David Boggs officiating. Burial will follow in the Moxley cemetery. Pallbearers will be: Bubba McGraw, Taylor McGraw, Colton McGraw, Keith Miller, James R. Sloan and Charles Smith, Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be the Deacons of Moxley United Methodist Church.

Helen was born on August 4, 1923 to Mr. Frank A. Moxley and Mrs. Ida McNeely Moxley, who lived with relatives and her sister, Evelyn Moxley Usry, on the road to “Old Town”.  Mr. Frank supported his family with whatever work was available; running a lumber mill; working in a gin in Kite; as a mechanic in Wrightsville; and as a Police Officer in Louisville.  Helen attended school when she was old enough depending on where Mr. Frank was working.  While living in what is now Jennifer Oglesby’s house, she and Evelyn attended school in what was Mrs. Effie Gaston’s house.  Today this is a far piece to walk but back then you just did it.  She and her sister would occasionally detour on the way home by Mrs. Jessie Carswell Perry’s place on Carswell Rd. for cookies and milk.  Later Mr. Frank and Mrs. Ida bought the family home place on Molxey Rd., near Young Rd., where Mr. Frank took up farming and where Helen finished growing up. Helen had to do the “hard chores”, milking cows and bringing in wood for the stove. Her sickly older sister got to bring in the kindling. Helen did not care for academics except for her last year, at Wadley High School, which she loved and from which she graduated in 1940.

Following high school Helen was able to attend the Barrett School of Nursing at the University Hospital, in Augusta, because her family had saved enough cotton seed money for her tuition.  She graduated as a R.N. in 1943 and enlisted in the U.S. Army Nursing Corps for the duration of WWII plus 1 day.  She had to go to Alabama by train for Officer Training School (OTS) and was scared to go so far from home, but Mr. Frank rode part of the way with her because when was told not to let her things out of sight.  This was easy when Mr. Frank was on the train but after he got off, she had to drag the foot locker.  She arrived for OTS, dragging her foot locker, and was assigned to a standard WWII wooden barracks.  Helen was the only one in the barracks and was very uneasy but finally other young women arrived.  She completed OTS, was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to an Army post in Mississippi.  At the end of WWII, she was discharged at Fort Bragg, NC without any way to notify her parents she was coming home.  Following a long, uncomfortable bus ride she finally got off the bus about a mile from home dragging her beloved footlocker behind her.  Helen wanted to get home, so she put her footlocker in the ditch and walked home.

Helen took short term nursing jobs waiting for the birth of her only niece, Susan Usry Heilig, to be born.  Susan couldn’t say Helen, so it became Hedgie.  Following Susan’s birth Helen went to work in Dublin for the Veterans Administration {VA}, as part of the transition team from what was a former U.S. Navy facility.  She worked at the VA for 33 years.  Following the death of her father she and her mother built a brick home on Pete Smith Road in Moxley.  Helen lived there until she had a stroke in 2018 after which she moved next door with Susan and Kay Heilig.

Helen was an active long-time member of Moxley United Methodist Church. She was the secretary, treasurer and overseer of the Moxley Cemetery. She was able to travel with Susan and Kay and visited the Caribbean, France, where she was enthralled by the remnants of WWII at Normandy, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Rhine river from Amsterdam to Switzerland, Hawaii, and Alaska.  She lived a full life and was considered “family” by the Moxley community and many others.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Evelyn Moxley Usry, and is survived by her niece, Susan Heilig (Kay), great nieces, Deborah Heilig, (Loretta), Tina Sloan, (Donnie) great nephew, Jennings “Butch” Heilig; great great niece, Krista Madden, (Tim), great great nephew, James R. Sloan, many other cousins and extended family members.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 3:00 PM prior to the service.

Those desiring may make memorials to Moxley Cemetery c/o Susan Heilig 1243 Pete Smith Road, Wadley, Georgia 30477.

Taylor Funeral Home and Cremation Care of Louisville is in charge of arrangements.

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