Helen Marie Loftin's Obituary
Helen McClung Loftin, 96, died on Sunday, November 3, 2019, at Lake Village Nursing and Rehabilitation in Lewisville, Texas. The daughter of Henry and Pearl Leach McClung, she was born October 10, 1923, in Fredrick, Oklahoma. Her family moved to Dallas when she was a preschooler and she spent most of her life in the Dallas area. During World War II, Helen lived several years in California; she put decals on planes during that time until she was recruited, because of her secretarial skills, to write letters to our servicemen. After WWII, she returned to Dallas and worked as a bookkeeper and ultimately comptroller of several firms. After divorcing her first husband, she supported herself and her son Joe as a single parent. Marrying Tommie Joe Loftin in 1962, they settled in Carrollton, Texas, and they square danced across the United States. Not long after the death of her husband, Helen retired and moved to Mountain View, Arkansas, to be near her son.She was an active member of Flatwoods Baptist Church and her church family played an important part in her life. She volunteered at our local hospital and also the Stone County Chamber of Commerce. She was selected as Volunteer of the Year for the Chamber in 2017. For several years, she worked part-time at Ozarka’s Mountain View Campus as a counselor under a grant for battered women. Additionally, she was a member of the Joe Preston Joslin, Jr. American Legion Auxiliary #23 in Cotter, Arkansas. Diminishing health prompted her return to the Dallas area in 2017.She is survived by her grandson Mark Joslin of Dallas; by her step-grandchildren: Clare Lesieur of Berryville, Gale Bolin of Mountain View, and Bert & Bruce Kivell of Austin, Texas; her great-grandchildren: Cash Joslin of Jonesboro, Dylan Joslin of Irving, Texas, MacKenzie Joslin of Dallas, Texas and her step-great-grandchildren: David Woods of Jonesboro, Shanna Tacker of Mountain View, Cheyenne Muse of Mountain View, and Cole Kivell of Austin, Texas; her daughter-in-law Sharon Joslin of Leslie; as well as her beloved nieces and nephews and their families, including Melody Ennis, LaWanda Thomas, Leah Lampton, and James McClung. Helen loved her blended family and spent many memorable moments with them.She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, her beloved husband Tommie Joe Loftin, and her only child Joe Preston Joslin, Jr. A memorial service for Helen will be held on December 7, 2019, at Valwood Baptist Church in Carrollton, Texas, at 0900 followed by interment at Restland in Dallas. The honorary pallbearers are James McClung, Mike Ennis, Ray Thomas, Mark Joslin, and Dylan Joslin.In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Searcy County Veterans Memorial Association, 108 Noah Horton Memorial Drive, Marshall, Arkansas 72650.
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