Helen Janeen Southwick

Helen Janeen Chamberlain Southwick was born on May 20, 1931. She often joked that she got her name when her dad exclaimed, “Hell, another girl!” She grew up in Honeyville, Utah, and often reminisced about the joy of living in a small town, “where you knew everyone and everyone knew you. We all were accepted because every child was needed for a game.” When the first family in Honeyville got indoor plumbing for a toilet, the rest of the town was disgusted, “Who would want something like that in their home?” they exclaimed. During WWII, she made friends at school with young Japanese children, who had been initially interned in a relocation camp but were later sent with their families to northern Utah for agricultural work. Sometime after the war, when prejudices were still common, a neighbor knocked at Helen’s door asking her if she’d sign a petition to keep a Japanese family out of the neighborhood. Helen, now a young mother, asked why they didn’t want them to live nearby. The woman said that it would be bad for the neighborhood. Helen said, “I agree. It will be very bad for the neighborhood. Their children will be cleaner and smarter than our children, and their yards will make ours look shabby. So, while I agree, I still won’t sign your petition.” The woman threw away the paper. The Japanese family moved in and not long after that, the neighbor returned and thanked Helen. She said, “You’re right. They are lovely people, and they do outshine us.”

Helen was known for her kindness, cheery disposition, and acceptance of others. She treated all people with respect, whether they were a shabbily dressed stranger on a bus or someone who held a high position in society. Much to her children’s chagrin, she would chat with anyone and everyone and when she left the conversation, she left as a friend. She was a positive person and believed that if you criticized someone, you needed to follow it up with 20 compliments. Her children never heard her utter a negative word about anyone, (except her husband,) who would sometimes test her patience.

Helen was a champion swimmer in high school and college. She taught P.E. and Health in California and Utah. After her retirement, she moved to Saint George and continued to swim or exercise almost every day. Up until a few months before her death, she was still taking walks around her neighborhood. She was also an avid gardner and could make anything grow. She leaves behind seven children, Shelley, JoAnn, Sue (Kevin Schmidt), Cara (a beloved daughter-in-law), Marcie (Mark Nelson) Rachel, Tiffany (David Harris) Jared (Beth) and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, her son Richard, a grandson, Jesse and a great-grandson, Yuri. She has longed to be reunited with her husband since his death and sainthood, on August 31, 2022. Her marriage in the Logan Temple on December 17, 1952, was a day of joy and a continuing source of strength to her. She believed in the eternity of the soul and the eternity of marriage and is now back in the arms of her beloved husband.