Verna Mae Helm

BIOGRAPHY

Verna Mae Helm was born in Metropolis, Massac County, Illinois, United States, on 17 August 1900, to parents Douglas Wymore Helm and Mary Ann Howell Helm. Her father served as Illinois State Senator. In 1908, at the age of 8, she participated in the dedication of Fort Massac State Park, where the opening of the park was celebrated with a parade of horse-drawn carriages, and a picnic.

She attended the University of Illinois, graduating with a degree in home economics, before later earning her Master’s Degree from Columbia Teachers College in New York. Following her graduation, she worked for several decades as a teacher of home economics in Centralia, Illinois. She also served as a representative for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Following her retirement, she was an active member of the First Methodist Church of Metropolis, and traveled much of the world with her brother, Lloyd. Known by many as “Auntie Verna”, she never married or had children, but became a central figure in her large extended family.

In 2008, when Fort Massac State Park celebrated its 100th birthday, then-108 year old Helm was interviewed for the occasion. Although poor health prevented her from attending in person, many elements of the centenary celebration were based on her vivid memories of the original opening ceremony.

She passed away on 7 March 2011, in the home in which she was born, at the age of 110 years, 202 days.