Dr. Helen Brookshire Adams: Obituary

Dr. Helen Brookshire Adams was born on January 24, 1927, and entered into the presence of God on June 30, 2017. She was 90 years and, as she made clear, “one half” years of age. Her earliest years were spent in Barnesville and Elberton, Georgia and she came to maturity in Gulfport, Mississippi. After completing her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in 1949, she spent one year working in Washington, DC, before returning to LSU for her Master’s degree in Theatre. Beginning in the fall of 1954, she initiated work on her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri in Columbia, which she completed in 1969.

During her 42 year teaching career, Helen shaped the lives of students in Missouri, North and South Dakota, North Carolina, Tennessee, and from 1980 to 1996 at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland. She followed her retirement at Truett by founding the work of the White County Respite Group, working with individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, where her love for others continues to demonstrate itself at the present day. She was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church of Cleveland for almost 37 years. During her years in Cleveland, and throughout her life, Helen made, as it were, a rather unique impression on all those she encountered.

She was preceded in death by her parents, the Reverend Dr. Henry T. and Mrs. Lorraine W. Brookshire, as well as her former husband and the father of her two sons, Dr. Dock Wilson Adams. She is survived by her two sons, Neel Adams, of Cleveland; Richmond Brookshire Adams and his wife, Jane, of both Alva and Pryor, Oklahoma; four first cousins, Mrs. Deborah Hayes and her husband, Ronald of Roswell; Mrs. Ramona Amacher of Dunwoody; Mr. Grail Brookshire and his wife, Mary of Loudon, Tennessee; and Mr. George W. Brookshire and his wife Jane of Dawsonville; other cousins, and many, many colleagues and friends.

Memorial services are scheduled for 11:00 AM Thursday, July 6, 2017 at The First Baptist Church of Cleveland.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Thursday at the Church prior to the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Helen Brookshire Adams Pass-Thru Scholarship for Theatre, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 709 Oklahoma Blvd., Foundation Office, Attn: John Allen, Alva, OK 73717; or to the American Cancer Society.

Online condolences can be made to the family at barrettfh.com

Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland.