Helan Walsh Kirkpatrick
Helan Walsh Kirkpatrick - known to many as "Pal" - of Lignum and Fredericksburg, Virginia, died on September 20, 2010, at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. She was born on December 24, 1912, in North Carolina and married Luther Arliss Kirkpatrick in 1950. They enjoyed a marriage of 53 years. Her husband predeceased her in 2004. She was active in their lumber mill business in Virginia and Maryland for many years. They also maintained sawmill operations in several countries in Africa where they resided for a number of years. She is survived by one of their closest friends, Jean-Marie Ferrant, a resident of France, whom they met while in Africa. Three nephews, Jim Bumgarner, Charles Pearson, and Jimmy Walsh, and three nieces, Gale Gill, Helen Ratledge, and Sue Ferguson, survive her. She is also survived by numerous great-nieces and great-nephews, as she was the last survivor of ten siblings. A special friend and companion of seventeen years, Debbie Dunn, also survives her. Her dog, Sonny, a beloved pet of many years, survives her. Visitation will be held on Friday, October 1, 2010, from 7 to 9 PM at Laurel Hill Funeral Home in Spotsylvania, VA. A funeral service will be held there on Saturday, October 2, at 10 AM.