Jean James

Sylvia Jean James, 90, of Wheat Ridge Colorado, passed away on May 25, 2022. Jean, as she was known, was born in May, Oklahoma on March 15, 1932, to Benjamin Franklin Odell and Sylvia Mae Morgan Odell. She grew up on her father’s farm, the youngest of six children. She loved animals and always had a dog. Jean attended school in May, but didn’t graduate. She received her GED as an adult in 1966. Jean worked as a waitress, received training in cosmetology, worked at the Oklahoma State Home for the Mentally Ill, the Oregon State Home for the Mentally Ill and for Ridge Home in Wheat Ridge Colorado where she worked as a psychiatric technician. She married David Helfenbein, with whom she had two sons, DeWayne and Loren. When they divorced, she married George James in 1969. He had five children, Cathy, Pam, Bill, Cindy and Roger, so together they raised a large family. After retiring from Ridge Home, Jean worked at Target, Pace (now Sam’s Club), and a used clothing store called Second Time Around. She loved people, shopping, her family, travel, and crafts, not necessarily in that order. Jean accepted Jesus as her savior when she was a child, and was a member of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church at the time of her death. She is preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin Franklin and Sylvia Mae, by her siblings, Henry Linnett, Frank Odell, Jennie Nichols, Alice Shepherd, and Agnes Pemberton, by both husbands, David Helfenbein and George James, by her step-children, Pam, Bill and Roger, and by a grandchild, Christina Spadi. Jean is survived by her sons, DeWayne (Kim) Helfenbein, Loren (Denice) Helfenbein, stepdaughters, Cathy Tunis and Cindy (Chris) Owens, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Crown Hill Mortuary, 7777 W 29th Ave Lakewood, Colorado on Tuesday May 31, 4:00-6:00 PM. Services will be held at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 5140 Carr St. Arvada Colorado on Wednesday June 1 at 10:00 AM with a lunch reception to follow. The graveside service will be held on Friday June 3 at 11:30 AM at Arvada Cemetery, 5581 Independence St Arvada Colorado.