Obituary of Helen Lucille Petteys

ASHFORD, Ala. - Helen Lucille Richmond Petteys of Ashford, Alabama, passed away Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 at the age of 102. Helen Lucille Richmond was born in 1918 in Asheville, North Carolina, to parents Charles Richmond and Helen Merritt Richmond. She was an active member of the Girls Scouts, and she was the first Asheville native to receive the Golden eagle Award in scouting. She graduated from Asheville Mission Hospital School of Nursing in 1942, then joined and served in the U.S. Army as an RN until her honorable discharge with the rank of Captain in 1947. While serving our nation, she met her future husband, Nelson Petteys. They were married in 1947 and she moved with him to his hometown of Greenwich. She was employed at Coila Nursing Home and Mary McClellan Hospital in Cambridge, retiring there after 25 years. She attended Senior Citizens and was a member of the American Legion Post No. 515 in Greenwich. In 2004, she moved to Ashford, Alabama, to be closer to her daughter. She attended the Senior Citizens there until she could no longer drive. She was a voracious reader and when her eyesight failed, she listened to books on tape. One of her great passions were her flowers, growing a variety of wildflowers both in her yard in Greenwich and surrounding her home in Ashford, Alabama. When she could no longer live alone, she relocated to Signature HealthCare in Graceville, Florida, where she resided for two years, then to Extendicare in Dothan, Alabama. In 2019, she relocated to her daughter's home in Ashford, Alabama. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Nelson, one brother Stephen Richmond and son-in-law Bobby Joe Elliott. Graveside services with military honors for Helen will be held at 11am on Friday, September 25, 2020 in the Greenwich Cemetery, County Rd 52, Greenwich, NY, 12834 with the Rev. Sandra Spaulding officiating. Survivors include daughter Dianne Elliott, Ashford; sons: Charles Petteys, Mechanicville; John Petteys, Greenwich; Nelson Bruce (Marsha) Petteys, Raleigh, North Carolina; her grandchildren: Kevin (Jennifer) Gill, Cottonwood, Alabama; Audrey (Josh) Forrest, Alabaster, Alabama; John Petteys, Jr. Greenwich; Robert Petteys, Raleigh, North Carolina; five great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and two nephews of North Carolina. A special thanks to Kindred Hospice for their care and to Jennifer Shultz for her love, care and compassion.