One thing that this job has done is given me the chance to meet some really outstanding people. Some of them become friends and some acquaintances and some are characters who leave a lasting impression from the moment you meet them.

One such person was Helen Mackes of Kunkletown. Anyone born or living in Eldred Township for any extended period of time has a story about Helen. She was a force of nature, or as her friends Bob and Lydia Boileau would say, a “pillar” supporting her community and her heritage.

I only had the opportunity to have Helen in my life for a short amount of time when she passed away on March 14 after a rather short battle with cancer, but she made a lasting impression on me. Helen would have turned 88 in October, but had the mind and moxie of someone much younger.

Last summer I spent an afternoon with Helen while she sat on the porch of the Kunkletown Pub and scrutinized the demolition of the old mill. Helen was convinced that the grinding wheel was still in the building and watched the entire process, hoping that the wheel would be recovered. It was not, but the time spent with her yielded a living history of the town of Kunkletown.

I saw the mill through her eyes, I felt the sun on my face as she described walking to the mill with money to purchase chicken feed in a dress her mother had made for her. And it wasn’t just any dress. Helen’s family was proud and it reflected in how they acted and in their appearance.

Helen was born at home, the youngest of seven children. She was the first of her family to graduate from high school. She was a single mother when it was unheard of and she opened her home to another single mother whom she later came to refer to as her daughter. When she spoke of her son and her daughter it was always with pride and humility.

Since the Boileaus had known Helen for much longer than I, I asked them to share a little of her wonderful story. I apologize to them both for having to edit some of what was written due to the constraints of the paper. Here is what they had to add.

Helen attended the Correll School through the eighth grade, and she was in the first class taught by Constance Andrews, who continues to live in Kunkletown and remains vibrant in the community. Helen went on to attend Palmerton School and was the first in her family to graduate from high school.

Helen worked at the R&R Toy Factory in Pen Argyl until it was closed. Helen saved her earnings and purchased her own home at a time when it was unheard of for a single woman to do so. Helen was the first woman to receive a mortgage from a bank in Wind Gap.

After the toy factory closed, Helen studied for and passed the real estate exam and began working for Koehler Marvin Realty. It was while selling real estate that Helen witnessed a young girl with a baby get off a bus. The girl was about to be placed in foster care and separated from her baby. The young woman had been the victim of tragic circumstances, and Helen did not hesitate to take charge of the situation. She took the girl and baby into her home and was adamant that the two not be separated. Helen secured the services of a solicitor to ensure the two received an education.

Helen’s son, Bill Mackes, said his mother was proud of her children. A “basic pride” — proud that they got their education, served their country, had jobs, took care of their families, didn’t do drugs and weren’t arrested.

Helen’s life was a life of service. She was active at St. Matthews Church in Kunkletown and she was a member of the Red Hat Society. Helen was a driving force in the Eldred Township Historical Society and played a key part in preserving the old post office.

Helen is credited with starting the funnel cake stand at the West End Fair with proceeds going to Pleasant Valley. The school district PTOs still run the stand, and until the very end, Helen could recite exactly what the proceeds from the stand were for the year.

Helen was a pillar in the Eldred Township community. She was active in the planning and executing of the Veterans’ Memorial and a long-standing member of the Eldred Township Planning Commission, serving as president of the commission for most of her tenure, and as treasurer at the time of her death when the position was “retired” in her honor. Helen also played a key role in keeping a post office in Kunkletown.

Most recently Helen was attempting to have the creek which runs past her home returned to its original name. Monroe County at some time had renamed the tributary Chapple Creek, since it passed a chapel, coincidently, Helen’s home. But according to Helen it was the Little Princess Creek.

Her son Bill, now living in Kansas, said that restoring the name of that creek would be a “real testimony” to Helen’s commitment to her community.

Helen also served as the tax collector in Eldred Township for more than 30 years and was very active in the Democratic Party.

Helen was quoted as saying the “Lord gave me a good mind and a voice to speak it.”

Anyone who knew Helen would agree. She was not afraid to speak her mind.

“She exhibited many acts of kindness and common sense, had a basic pride in her family, and was a true resource for those in her community fortunate enough to come into contact with her,” Boileau said.

Anyone who knew Helen will tell you that she will not be forgotten easily. Rest easy, Helen.