Helen Adams Wallace

Helen Adams Wallace of Tucker, Georgia died surrounded by her family on June 21 at the age of 75. She was born to William Walter Adams and Louise Williams Adams on April 25, 1947 in Athens, Georgia. She spent her first years in Winder and moved to Atlanta when she was a young girl. She married James Robert Wallace in Atlanta on June 21, 1975.

Helen graduated from Briarcliff High School in Atlanta in 1965. She received her undergraduate degree in education from the University of Georgia and her master’s and specialist’s degrees from Georgia State University. She taught a variety of grades at several elementary schools, but her most notable service was as a kindergarten teacher at Dolvin Elementary School in John’s Creek from 1985 to 2010. During this time she received the teacher of the year award and served on numerous committees. One of her favorite things to do at Dolvin was to put the class hamster in his hamster ball and send him into the classroom across the hall where he would delight the children and frighten her colleague.

She was a member of Wieuca Road Baptist Church from 1975 until 2010 and a member of First Baptist Church of Decatur from 2010 until her death. Throughout these years she worked in a broad range of capacities, serving on numerous committees, teaching Sunday school, directing vacation Bible school, and performing many other jobs. She preferred inconspicuous roles and served the church faithfully all her years.

Helen is survived by her children Dan (Sherry) Wallace of Forsyth, Paul (Elizabeth) Wallace of Decatur, Kristen (Keith) Pierce of Lilburn; seven grandchildren Rebecca (Nate) Shetler of Macon, Daniel (Susanna) Wallace of Yulee, Florida, Emily (Caleb) Pierce of Decatur, Lydia (Wilbur) Pierce of Cleveland, Tennessee, Henry Wallace of Atlanta, Julia Wallace of Decatur, and Kristen Wallace of Decatur; and by her brother William Walter Adams, Jr, (Sandy) of Gainesville.

Helen’s love for her family was legendary. Her devotion to Jim was complete, and year after year she brought everyone together at Christmas. She mindfully kept up with the details of her children’s and especially her grandchildren’s lives, taking care to make each one feel special, as if they alone were the apple of her eye. She loved all people gratuitously and without judgment or rebuke, seeking always to understand those whose points of view diverged from her own.

She also entertained new ideas, especially religious ones, until the end of her days. She read deeply from perspectives that were new to her, and that challenged her beliefs; yet she never rejected them outright or took them lightly. Her boldness of thought, along with her acceptance of her own limits of experience and knowledge, increased with her years.

Her interest in people was boundless. She made friends with people in checkout lines; baked brownies for her roofers and tree experts; and was on a first name basis with employees of her hardware store, pharmacy, backyard bird store, pet store, and every other place of business she frequented. She consistently took time to talk to and care for anyone who crossed her path, asking them questions about their lives, telling jokes, and in general making them feel noticed, appreciated, and loved.

Helen relished practical jokes, in particular those which ended with one of her children or grandchildren being scared witless. No survey of Helen’s life and personality is complete without mentioning that she regularly instigated such jokes and would double over laughing, usually silently and to the point of tears, once they were complete.

Her brave spirit took her around the world, seeking places filled with natural beauty and new people. She and Jim traveled a great deal before his death in 2016, and afterwards she continued her journeys both in the United States and abroad. On these trips she pursued her interest in wildlife: she snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, went whale watching in New Zealand, spotted wolves at Yellowstone National Park, and, both with Jim and on her own, watched birds everywhere she went. Her favorite bird was the painted bunting.

Please join the family in honoring Helen's life from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home, 2773 N Decatur Rd on Saturday, July 9. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Decatur. There will be a memorial service held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 9 at First Baptist Church Decatur, 308 Clairemont Ave.