Nedra Helan Drake

Nedra Helan Drake, beloved mother of four sons, died peacefully in her sleep on May 31, 2023 at the age of 93. Helan left a legacy of love and joy to her family and many other people from her long and active life.

Helan was born on January 24, 1930 in Sweetwater, Texas, to May Nelson Kelly. She spent her early years in Sweetwater before attending Austin College and East Texas Baptist University. Helan then married and began a family, raising four sons while managing to earn her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University. She taught high school for a number of years and eventually earned her master’s degree from North Texas State University, after which she launched a teaching career at Eastfield College that lasted for twenty-five years. Helan had a passion for teaching English and is fondly remembered by her many students. After retiring, she stayed busy traveling the world and volunteering, especially at the SMU Meadows Museum.

Helan loved her family and friends, world travel, cats, and many other varied activities that enriched her life. She was a Presbyterian. Helan was preceded in death by her father, Daniel Ashton Kelly, her mother, May Nelson Kelly, and sisters Margaret McDonald and Elizabeth (Ebb) Jones. She is survived by her sons David and his wife Deborah, William and his wife Aurelia, John and his wife Betsy, Paul and his wife Michelle, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Helan was a kind, generous, caring mother and grandmother and will be greatly missed by her many loved ones. She will be buried next to her mother and father in Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo, Texas

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Grove-Hill.com for the Drake family.