Helen Irene Whitehurst

Helen was born January 3, 1918 in Boynton Beach, Florida, to the late Linton Lee Whitehurst and Isabel Helen Stevens. She was the youngest of two children and had a beloved older brother, the late Ray E. Whitehurst. During her childhood, Helen moved to Flint, Michigan, where she graduated from Flint Central High School in 1937. She soon returned to South Florida, where she worked and raised her family.

Helen was the treasured wife of James Octhel and mother of two adoring daughters, Sharon Randolph and Beverly Smith. She will be forever remembered by her daughters, her caring sons-in-law Robert Randolph and William Weston Smith, III, her three loving grandchildren, Robert Randolph, Jr., Shannon Owens, and Whitney Smith, her four great grandchildren, Adam Randolph, Bobbi Marie Randolph, Jon Cameron Owens, and Catherine Owens, along with countless other friends and family whom were blessed to know her.

Helen's passions included gardening, sewing, quilting, painting, time with family and friends, going to the theater, and adventurous travel that took her across the United States and as far as South America and Hong Kong. She was a professional ice skater in her youth and remained an avid football fan throughout her life, cheering for the Miami Dolphins on any given Sunday.

Helen touched the lives of many people with her fun-loving nature, compassion for others, and generosity to all. With her family by her side, she passed peacefully from this world and moved towards her next adventure. Per her wishes, Helen's ashes will be released into the ocean in a private family ceremony held at sea.

Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County. The Dorsey-E. Earl Smith Memory Gardens Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.