Helen A. Draves' Obituary
Helen A. Draves (Tripp), 90, of Port Huron, formerly of Casco Township, went peacefully home to be with her Lord, surrounded by her loving family on Saturday, March 25, 2017.
She was born on June 28, 1926, in St. Clair, Michigan, the daughter of Harry and Alice (Lounsbery) Tripp.
She was married to Palmer Draves on November 10, 1945 at Salem Methodist Church in China Township. He preceded her in death on January 12, 1999.
A life-long resident of St. Clair County, Helen took part in the first St. Clair County 4-H Fair in 1937. Her father Harry Tripp was active in bringing 4-H to St. Clair County. She worked at Chris Craft making landing craft to serve our country during World War II.
She and her husband operated the Luckycrest Dairy Farm, in Casco, for over 50 years. After her husband’s death, she continued to run the family farm with her son Bill for 10 years before moving to Port Huron. She was a former member of the Marine City United Methodist Church and then a member of Columbus Bible Church. She played an active role at both churches. She spent her later years in Port Huron living in her comfortable home next door to her daughter Debbie where she was lovingly cared for by her children and enjoyed frequent visits from her family and friends.
Helen is survived by her children - Carol (Greg) Diachenko of Glen Burnie, MD; Donna (Ed) Wojtysiak, Emmett; Barb Czarnecki (Richard Lutz) Bear Lake; Debbie (Brian) Shinavier, Port Huron; Diane (Glenn) Schmincke, Arnold, MD, Ken (Larisa) Draves, Big Rapids. She has 18 Grandchildren, 15 Great Grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
She is also survived by two brothers, Lloyd (Ann) Tripp of Rochester, Earl Tripp of Tampa, FL, and one brother-in-law, Edward (Geri) Draves, of Manistee. She was preceded in death by her husband, Palmer; her son, William (Bill); her sister, Lois and brothers Bob and Charles.
Visitation will be at Young Funeral Home (4061 St. Clair Hwy, China Twp.) Friday, March 31 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be Saturday at Columbus Bible Church (1770 Palms Rd, Columbus) at 11:00 a.m. To leave a message of comfort, visit www.youngcolonial.com
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Clair County 4-H Council or Columbus Bible Church.
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