Public Visitation for Mrs. Helen M. Barron will be Friday, May 24, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at West’s Mortuary, 325 Drayton Street, Montezuma, Georgia.
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Summary of Life
Helen McClendon Barron passed away on May 12, 2024 at the age of 81. She was born to the late Tommie McClendon and Rutha Mae McClendon on January 1, 1943. She was preceded in death by six siblings, Mary Young, Doris Donaldson, Tommie Lee McClendon, Dorothy Witchard, Bunice Sanders, and Jeffery Burnam.
On August 13, 1977, Helen married the late Albert James Barron. Their family was blessed to include six children. Two of those children, Vernon Antonio McClendon and Retha Ann Ballestracci, preceded her in death. Helen was educated in the Macon County School System where she attended Flint River Farm School and graduated from D.F. Douglass High School in 1961. Over the years, Helen was employed as a seamstress with Forest Mills sewing factory, a hotel housekeeper, and an insurance agent. Alluding to her kind heart, humility, and love for others, she also worked with young children as a daycare instructor, delivered meals to the elderly as well as transporting them for daily social activities, and served as a caregiver for family members and other disabled adults.
On April 12, 1969 Helen was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, remaining faithful for 55 years until her death. She used those years to share with and teach others the good news about the true God, Jehovah, and the wonderful future that He promises to bring about by means of his Kingdom. This was her most treasured assignment. Even after she became limited in her public witnessing, she faithfully attended ZOOM field ministry meetings and continued sharing scriptural truths with others by means of letters and phone calls. God’s promises were real to Helen, and one of her final hopes was for her family to continue living together in peace and love while awaiting the fulfillment of Jehovah’s Kingdom blessings (Matthew 6:9,10).
Helen enjoyed several hobbies including floral arranging, arts & crafts, event decorating, and finding yard sale/thrift store treasures. She loved reminiscing and talking with others about fond memories of growing up in the Five Points community and other life experiences. In her later years, Helen found a special joy in sending daily encouraging text messages to others, even taking time to personalize some of those messages. She had become somewhat of an expert at this. Keeping in touch with others and making sure they knew that she was thinking of them was something she cherished dearly.
Helen M. Barron leaves a legacy of love and countless fond memories to her beloved family which include her loving children: Christene Gary (Fairfax, VA), Lesa Bodine (Concord, NC), Debbie Johnson (Johnnie) (Jacksonville, FL) and Cyndria Barron (Montezuma, GA); her siblings: Melissa Joiner (Ideal, GA), Pathesia Joiner (Montezuma, GA), Tometrice Joiner (Warner Robins, GA), and Michael Caldwell (Macon, GA); her grandchildren: Cornelius Ballestracci (Belinda) (Houston, TX), Clarissa Tinker (Matthew) (Fairfax, VA), Demetrius Ballestracci (Houston, TX), Andronicus Ballestracci (Rebecca) (Creedmoor, NC), and Charles A. Gary (Reston, VA); her sisters-in-law, Mary Kelly (Philadelphia, PA), Hattie Hubbard (Montezuma, GA), and Nancy Kaigler (Atlanta, GA); a devoted son-in-law, Myles Ballestracci (Jeannie) (Americus, GA), four great grandchildren, a large host of nieces, nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews, other relatives, beloved friends, and a devoted friend since the third grade, Ms. Ethel Polk (Chicago, IL).