Helen Tuck Kittrell died on April 9, 2024 after a short illness.  The fourth of Lyman and Margie Kittrell's eight children, she lived in Broadway on her parents' farm until enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1950. She trained and served as an X-Ray technician, and met Bess and Harry Truman when they came for annual physicals, even seeing President Truman in his BVDs once.  After her tour of duty, she attended Piedmont College, Georgia where she was a campus leader, serving on the governing committee of her Senior Class, instigating a Homecoming Court (to which she was elected as Homecoming Queen) and participating in a wide range of activities. As all of Margie's children, she was a life-long and wide-ranging reader.  She was also extremely quick with numeric calculations. 
Her career as a computer programmer gave her freedom and plenty of time for both fun and service. She went to homes for the elderly with snacks and puzzles and greatly enjoyed talking with people. She enjoyed travel and lived in New Mexico and several California communities before finding a permanent home in Alameda.
Helen was committed to her family even though she chose to live in beautiful California. She took three nephews on a summer-long hike on the Appalachian Trail, returned to North Carolina on several occasions to provide assistance for months to family members suffering from illness and kept in touch through phone calls and lengthy letters. Her handicrafts graced many a table or the shoulders of loved ones. Her tasty cooking amazed a wide range of visitors to her table. 
She is survived by dear friends, 24 nieces and nephews, sister-in-law Mrs. Teri Kittrell, and many others whose lives she touched. She is pre-deceased by her parents and all of her siblings.