Helen M. Begg (Bowen) Carter

Helen was born January 16, 1945 in East Liverpool, Ohio. She was the daughter of the late Frank Begg and the late Caroline Begg, of Industry, PA. She was the devoted and loving wife of Colonel Raymond Carter, US Army Retired.

Helen lived in Northern Virginia and worked for 39 years for the Department of the Army, retiring as a GS-13 in 2001. She met Ray in the Pentagon. After her retirement, Helen moved to Temecula, California in Jan 2001 to reboot her life and start anew. She and Ray married in 2004 (stories are still told of that festive wedding cruise). Over the years, she always stayed in touch with cousins, other relatives, neighbors, work friends, and especially the roommates - they meant so much to her.

Helen never knew a stranger though, she loved people and within minutes, people loved her. When her mother passed, Helen quickly adopted Mom and Dad Carter, who in turn quickly adopted her as the daughter they never had. Helen was happy and endearing with a hearty, contagious laugh (a bit of stubbornness did occasionally sneak out). She loved life and fought a strong battle with her cancer, an example for us all. She was one tough cookie as well as an angel from heaven.

Helen loved to travel with Ray. At the top of her list, was their trip to France, where they traveled and toured by vans the whole country for almost a month with a group of friends. Helen also loved cruising, her favorite being the Mediterranean and Monte Carlo in particular. She and Ray drove across country several times, spending time in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York City, and Memphis were her most favorite cities. Helen grew especially fond of the OCS reunions, savoring good times in Savannah, Chicago, and Seattle as well. Of all the visits though, Napa always had a special calling to her.

When Helen was not traveling, you would find her doing her therapeutic gardening or shopping for hours, and then having fun at Happy Hour with Ray or wine tasting with her many Temeku friends. She loved to cook and was always up for a party or backyard BBQ. She got immense pleasure out of cooking an old fashioned hearty meal. Helen was loved by all who knew her and she will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her devoted and loving husband, Ray Carter (Temecula); her adult sons, Dana and Eric Bowen (Virginia); her older brother, Frank Begg (Orange County), and 5 grandchildren (Virginia).