HELEN HEDLEY CATES
1931-2018
Helen Hedley Cates, 86 of Houston Texas passed away on Friday February 2, 2018. She was born Helen Elizabeth Hedley, the first of two children to Helen Elizabeth Hedley and John David Hedley in San Antonio, Texas on April 18, 1931 and embodied the ideal of an intelligent, strong Texas woman.
Although born in San Antonio, Helen considered herself a Houstonian. She grew up on Sunset Boulevard in Houston’s South Hampton neighborhood and attended Poe Elementary School, Lanier Middle School and graduated from Lamar High School. Helen cherished a group of friends from her childhood and this “Kindergarten Group”, met regularly for lunch. She loved these lifelong friends who stood together to celebrate, support and gird each other through their life’s journeys.
Helen took great pride in the fact that she attended Oklahoma University (OU) and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech. Helen was very active in the Delta Gamma sorority and its president during her tenure. She also received the Big Woman on Campus award which is given annually and recognizes students for outstanding accomplishments in leadership, service, honors and academics. She continued her fierce allegiance to the Sooners and cheered heartily when they would beat University of Texas or Louisiana State University. Woe be to you if you greeted her at her door with UT or LSU fan garb on, she might not let you in.
Helen married the love of her life, John Cates on December 19th, 1955 at Houston’s First Presbyterian church. Together, Helen and John purchased a lot in west Houston, built a beautiful home on Hickory Ridge and loved life together for 52 years. She was deeply grateful and that she could continue to live in her home until the end of her life thanks primarily to the loving support and care provided by her son John Hedley Cates.
Helen’s love for Houston ranged from making bandages as a teenager from sheets for the Red Cross in the early days of World War II to her enduring support of the Houston Symphony, Houston Garden Club and Houston Ballet. Helen helped found the Nutcracker Market and created the epicurean area with products from her home business the Jam Jar which she ran with her husband John. “Love in jar” as one of her clients described jams and jellies.
Her passion for natural beauty, birding and gardening restored her and led her to compost and use of organic gardening techniques at her home as early as the 1970s. This love of the land extended to Willow Bank, her family’s cabin in the mountains of New Mexico. Many a family trips to that cabin in the Land of Enchantment sustained and renewed her soul, so much so she has chosen it as her and John’s final resting place.
On a lighter note, those who knew Helen knew that she loved words and grammar and enjoyed being introduced to a new word that she had not discovered. She reveled in reading, distinguishing and interpreting the meaning of words and their origins. She lovingly cringed more than a few times when she would hear her children announce, “I am going to lay down for a nap” or “that color is very unique”. She would gently say repeatedly that “You are going to lie down for a nap” and “Either the color is unique, or it is not…unique means “one of kind”.
Helen is survived by her three children; John Hedley Cates, David DeWitt Cates, and Helen Margaret Cates. Helen took great pride in her three children and did a magnificent job of instilling honor, grace and good humor in each and giving each a strong moral compass to guide them on their life paths. She will be remembered as an intelligent, strong woman, loving wife and mother and most importantly an outstanding human being who left an indelible imprint on the hearts of those she touched.
The family wish to express their deep gratitude to the circle of friends, family, neighbors and physicians who loved and supported Helen throughout her life; Martha Wilson, Cacilie H Daily, Delie Reid, Mollie Zumwalt, Lucy Raster, Jenny Stark;Trevor, Travis, David and Lisa Wiggins, Jamie Hensley Carleton Gillenwater, Maye Cavallaro, Modeaner Magee and family, Roger Beck, Dan Bergman, Martha Strawn, Marie Hall, Shari Provenzano, Alice Bing, Polly Shouse, Roger Lucas a.k.a. “Baby Gator”, Haley Stewart, Carol Himmelreich, Nicole Jamison,MD., Seleim Sekili,MD., Minh Tran, MD., Anil Sheth, MD., volunteers at Memorial Assistance Ministries and Memorial Herman Medical Center Cardio Rehabilitation.
The children invite those who knew and cared about Helen to join them in April for a celebration of her life. Please contact David Cates at ddcates@comcast.net for details. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Houston Audubon Society or the Natural Resources Defense Council.