Helen Anne Watson, 91, was born on July 4, 1933, in Brunswick, Missouri, to William (Bill) and Christine (Edwards) Hunt. She passed peacefully into the presence of Jesus on December 9, 2024.
Helen loved her close-knit family and small-town community growing up, but the bright lights and big-city ways of Kansas City always held an allure for her. A favorite memory she often spoke of was riding the train from rural Brunswick to the city with her mom to shop at Harzfelds department store. She didn’t know then that her adulthood would be spent living in several big cities, and visiting the capital cities of 54 countries worldwide.
Helen met her future husband, Russell, when his family moved to Brunswick her senior year of high school. He lived there only one year, but that year cemented the foundation of their future life together. She attended Christian College in Columbia, Missouri, receiving an associates degree.
She finished her studies in Home Economics Education at the University of Missouri while Russell studied accounting, and they married the day after Russell’s graduation on June 9, 1957. Helen truly had the gift of hospitality which fit her background in home economics education. She loved to teach young students to cook and sew. She taught school in Norfolk while Russell was stationed at the naval base and also taught in her hometown, and Raytown, Missouri.
As an only child, Helen always wished for a sister. That long-held desire became the impetus to adopt two baby girls, Sigrid in 1967 and Felicity in 1969. They eventually settled in Overland Park, Kansas, where she raised her children and lived the rest of her life. Faith in Jesus Christ was the most important facet of Helen’s life, and she lived that out as a long-time, active member of Leawood Baptist Church (now Hope Community). She led the Round Table book club, taught Sunday School, and coordinated Wednesday night dinners with panache.
Home and Community Club of Greater Kansas City was also a joy in Helen’s life, as was her water aerobics class in later years. Helen and Russell loved traveling; they visited almost every U.S. state and 48 countries worldwide. Their favorite places were the United Kingdom, the Yangtze River in China, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Helen had a special affinity for the people of Asia and supported mission efforts there to the end of her life.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Russell, her parents, Bill and Christine Hunt, her parents-in-law, Paul and Gladys Watson, and her brother-in-law, Ken Jameson. She is survived by daughters Sigrid Rich (Micheal) of Overland Park and Felicity Slemp (Kevin) of Berea, Ky, grandchildren Eliana Slemp and Aiden Slemp, sister-in-law Mary Jameson, nieces Michelle Smith (Greg) of Lee’s Summit and Melissa Neis of Kansas City.
A Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. with Funeral Services following at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, at Hope Community Church, 8200 State Line Rd. Leawood, KS. Burial will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at Asbury Cemetery, Salisbury, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you support the International Mission Board’s work in Asia at https://www.imb.org/campaign/in-memory-of-helen-anne-watson/.