Helen Marie Wickham

Helen Marie Wickham, 82, of Tampa, Florida went home to rest in the arms of her Savior on Saturday, March 15, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Born, March 27, 1942, in Tampa Florida, she was one of four children of the late Thomas Alexander and Irene Helen (Manring) Galloway. Helen Marie enjoyed many aspects of her life. Believing in education, she went back to school in 1999 and was inducted into the National Honor Society. She worked as an accountant for the Hillsborough County School Board. With a servant’s heart, she was active at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church. She read her bible in its entirely several times and witnessed to anyone who wanted to listen to the good news. Her family describes her as a living Christian example. She spent countless hours in her back yard planting flowers and various plants, tending her grapevines, and reaping the various fruits that included peaches, avocadoes, cherries, and Japanese plums from trees in her yard as well. She spent countless summers at the Beaches of Anna Maria Island. Her greatest joy was spoiling her family with her home baked lemon lush, Georgia sheet cake, baking and decorating cakes iced with real Crisco, powdered sugar and vanilla but mostly by doting special individual packages of her homemade fudge to her family at Christmas.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Jessie Manring; her husband and father of her children, Johnny Harper, Sr; her second husband, Ward Wickham.

She will be remembered and missed by her children, Johnny (Cindy) Harper, Jr., and Tammy (Stan) Mitchell; her grandchildren, Jennifer Yohn, Michael (Candace) Kidwell , Brandy (Travis) Smith , Drew (Lizzy) Harper and Devin (Katie) Harper; her great grandchildren, Bailee Kidwell, Hailee Kidwell, Madison Yohn, Marlaree Yohn, Logan Harper, August Harper, and Waylon Smith; her sisters, Dorothy “Betty” Mullis (Jerry) and Helen “Sister” Bagley (J.W.); and her late husband's children, Carlynn Wickham, Skee-bo Wickham, Bonnie Wickham and Ed Wickham.

Family and friends will gather Friday, March 21, 2025, at Blount and Curry Funeral Home at Garden of Memories for a visitation from 10 am and a funeral service at 11 am. Interment will follow services in Garden of Memories. Services will be officiated by Nicole Calwhite.