Helena Galbraith Hibbs' Obituary
Born in Dallas, Texas on November 27, 1921, Helena went to her Lord on May 11, 2011. Her parents, Allene Trieller Lightfoot Galbraith, Wm. L. Lightfoot, Sr., stepfather Stephen Arthur Galbraith, and her beloved husband Max M. Hibbs preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister Brooks Schaal and brother-in-law Bob Schaal, of Orange, CA, and her six sons; Marc, Tony, Greg, Nicky, Eric, and Chris, along with their wives; Terri, Donna, Toni Jane, Diane, Annie, and Heather, fourteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Helena grew up in Fort Worth, TX, where she graduated from Arlington Hts. High School and attended TCU. In Fort Worth, she met the love of her life, Max Hibbs, with whom she shared 68 years of marriage, until death took Max in 2009. Helena was passionate about all forms of art. An accomplished musician, she played several instruments, including the piano and harp. She also painted in oils and loved to engage in some of the more traditional art forms such as knitting, tatting and quilting, which she loved to teach to others. In 1979, Helena recognized a need for quilters in the Dallas/Ft Worth area to form a group so they could quilt together and learn from each other. At the urging of her students, Helena formed the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, which has grown from a charter group of 71 quilters, to over 500 members. In her later years, Helena found another outlet for her talents when she began knitting booties, caps, and gowns for babies born at Parkland Hospital. She also crocheted Afghans for needy babies through a church-sponsored program. Helena was a very spiritual woman who could always be counted on to render support in a crisis. She was an active member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church, and served as Co-President of the 2×2 Class. In addition to her other church-related duties, she played hymns for the AYA class at the Church. Through it all, Helena always kept her family first. She loved to have all the boys and their families over for large birthday parties and holiday celebrations. Later, she started the tradition of having an annual tea party with her daughters-in-law and granddaughters. Helena’s favorite hymn was “Jesus Loves Me”, which couldn’t have been more perfect. If there were ever a person that deserved Jesus’ love it was Helena, as she served him well. Helena’s loving family will miss her greatly. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Restland Funeral Home, Dallas, TX. Services will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM in the Memorial Chapel at Restland Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Helena’s honor to: Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Inc., 305 Spring Creek Village, Box 521, Dallas, TX 75248-5744 .
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