Helen Bunting

Mrs. Helen Irene Bunting, age 94 years, of Tebbetts, Mo., passed away Monday, November 29, 2010, at Capital Region Medical Center. She was born on August 21, 1916, in an adobe house on the western prairies of Nebraska, the daughter of John Henry and Mary Ellen Lee Jackson. She was married on May 25, 1951, in Reno, Nev., to Carl T. Bunting, who preceded her in death on December 31, 1983. She was the youngest of her brothers and sisters. Helen was always a tomboy who could ride a horse before she started school and enjoyed helping her brothers trap beaver and muskrat. She went to college in Greely, Colo., and later moved to California where she worked as a pipefitter and welder in the shipyards during World War II. She was the only woman to do this for the duration of the war. She had an open mind to new ideas and what was fair. She was always brave in doing what she thought was right. Her first and number one interest was her children and family and always encouraged them to be the best that they could be. A resident of the central Missouri area since 1951, she was employed with the Fulton State Hospital for 20 years prior to her retirement in October 1978. Helen was a member of the Tebbetts United Methodist Church and the Fulton Singles Club in Fulton, Mo. Helen's passions were crocheting, sewing, and other crafts, gardening, canning and loving her many pets. She also enjoyed spending time with family and working on her genealogy. Survivors include: one daughter, Delores Carlos and her husband Gary of Tebbetts; three sons, Herbert LaVern Hill of St. Louis, Mo., Charles Bunting and his wife Connie of Jefferson City, Mo. and Bill Bunting of Fulton, Mo.; 16 grandchildren, 21 great- grandchildren, and 15 great- great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a foster daughter, Naomi Lloyd, and by 20 other foster children that she and Carl helped raise. Helen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her son, Ron Bunting; four brothers and three sisters. Visitation will be at Freeman Mortuary from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 3, 2010. Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday in the Freeman Chapel with the Reverend Beth Duckworth officiating. Interment will be at the Riverview Cemetery near Tebbetts, Mo. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to the Tebbetts United Methodist Church, Tebbetts, Mo. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Freeman Mortuary. www.freemanmortuary.com