Happy Birthday, Grandad

I am reminded today of my Grandad.  He would have turned 94 today, but passed away on July 5, 2006. I will never forgot the many memories he and I shared from him teaching me how to drive on his knee in his blue pick-up or one of his famous lines, "don't tear up the grass," before my brothers and I would leave his house on a 4-wheeler. Grandad and Granny hold a very special place in my heart and sometimes catch myself wondering what they'd say about our two little boys.  They loved so many people that came to their home.  I might not have known it than, but that's what it was; we could take anyone to see Granny and Grandad.  Most days you could expect to see Grandad in his coveralls and if he wasn't on the couch relaxing, he was in the kitchen offering you some food or his latest cache of BBQ from Lockhart.

Harold Hellums, 88, passed away on Wednesday, July 5, 2006, at his home in Cedar Creek,  Texas. He was born on Nov. 21, 1917, in Dale, Texas, to Jess and Lillie Mae (Alexander) Hellums. 

Harold married Sylvia Robinson on Nov. 25, 1939, in McMahan. They moved to Cedar Creek in 1941, where he worked for 60 years in the oil and ranching business. He accepted Christ in the Pentecostal Church and attended various Baptist Churches. 

Harold was preceded in death by his parents, Jess and Lillie Mae Hellums, and by two brothers, Terrell B. Hellums and A.O. Hellums. 

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sylvia J. Hellums of Cedar Creek; son, Dennis Hellums and wife, Donna, of Cedar Creek; daughters Gail Hellums of Cedar Creek and Lana Turner and husband, Gene, of Bastrop; brother, Jess Hellums, Jr., and wife, Betty, of Lockhart; sister-in-law, Llavona Hellums of Dale; grandsons, Lyn D. Turner, Terry Turner, Jeremy Hellums, Aaron Hellums and Matthew Hellums; step-grandchildren, Matthew Foster and Christa Foster; and great-granddaughters, Addie Turner and Makayla Turner. 

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, 2006, at McCurdy Memorial Chapel with Rev. Gary Rogers and Rev. Martin Ruiz officiating. Interment followed in Bunton Cemetery. 

The family wishes to express its gratitude to Austin Hospice, Bluebonnet Home Healthcare, and Dr. Lance Carroll, M.D., for helping us through this trying time, and a very special thank you to the angels who came into our lives – Felipa Jaramillo, Maria Valdez, Ruth Cordova and Susie Martinez. Memorials in Harold’s memory may be made to a charity of choice.

My most recent memory of Grandad was Christmas of 2005. He was using a walker and came into the dining area. I grabbed another walker and we rammed into one another. I'll never forget the huge smile on his face as we played and laughed; amazing to watch and 88 year old man play like a child.

If you get a chance to tell someone you love them, do it. God bless.