Helen Ventress

Helen Carter Ventress, age 104 years, 7 months, and 21 days, died peacefully Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in Cleveland, Oklahoma. She was born September 22, 1909, to Fred and Nona Swalley in Lela, OK. She was the first of five children. She attended school in and around Pawnee, Oklahoma, and graduated high school with her sisters, Hazel and Zella, in 1930. Soon after graduation, Helen met Cleo Carter and they married three weeks later on August 9, 1930. They started their lives together in Oklahoma City where Cleo worked for a printing company. Due to the depression, Cleo was laid off and they moved to the farm near Helenís parents where they farmed and raised cattle. They had two daughters, Peggy Ann and Delores June. Peggy died in 1970 and Delores currently lives in Odessa, Texas. In 1940 Helen read an article in the Farmerís Stockman inviting those interested in acquiring land to write a letter describing how they would manage the land and re-pay the government loan. Helen entered and won! Her letter was one of five chosen by Farm Security of Pawnee County. They had their choice of several farms in Pawnee County. They chose 160 acres north of Terlton. They moved to the farm in November 1940. They started out with 8 or 10 milk cows, some chickens, a few pigs and some turkeys. They sold milk and eggs and raised a huge garden. They also raised corn and alfalfa hay. They canned vegetables, butchered hogs and beef for their food and always had enough to share with those in need. During World War II, Helen went to work at Command Mills, W.O. Norris and several cafes as a fry cook or waitress. Cleo got a job with Sheffield Steel. When Cleo got laid off, they both got jobs at Douglas Aircraft. They drove to Tulsa every day and farmed at night and on week-ends. In 1945 Douglas Aircraft began laying off workers by the thousands. Helen and Cleo had saved enough in war bonds to make a down payment on an additional 160 acres. Helen started raising poultry and Cleo went to work for Johnson Oil Company in Cleveland where he worked until about 1950. When he left there, he and Helen increased their flock of chickens and turkeys. In 1945 a local familyís father died leaving a sick mother with eight children. Cleo and Helen stepped in and helped the family. They gave them a milk cow and a horse to plow the garden. Six months later the mother died. The three oldest children wanted to keep the family together. After a few months the welfare department decided that this was not to be and the five youngest needed to go to a state orphanage. Helen knew the condition of the state orphanages at that time and began looking for a more suitable home for the children. She looked all over the state until she found a Baptist Childrenís Home near Oklahoma City. She brought the children to her home each summer for two weeks for their vacation. She eventually found homes for each of them and encouraged their new families to keep them in touch with each other. The oldest of the five, Myra Jean, came to live with Cleo, Helen, and their daughters and became one of the family. Myra Jean died in 1999. Helen and Cleo started raising a few more turkeys and in 1946 they bought a thousand which they then sold to a buyer out of Enid. They made a real good profit, so each year they added a few more. They began selling to grocery stores, restaurants and families. They purchased more hens and began selling more eggs to grocery stores and restaurants all around the area. They then started raising broilers. Every three weeks they would get 3,500 chicks. They first sold them to Swift and Co., but soon began to sell to local and area stores. In November of 1953 Cleo died suddenly. A lot of people told Helen she should sell the farms. She talked to the women that worked for her and told them if they would stay and work for her she would continue with the business. They agreed and she was able to keep the farms and provide jobs for those women. She employed a lot of high school kids and local women over the years. Under her management the farm prospered. She was eventually processing 45,000 broilers per year, 2,500 turkeys and many dozens of eggs. The effort earned her praise from state and national broiler associations. Helen did a little of everything to make a living. At one time she was making catfish bait from the blood of the chickens she dressed which was quite popular with the local catfish fishermen. She also built a ìpig parlorî and raised pigs for a time. Helen was always interested in her community. In the 1940ís the Terlton school did not have a cafeteria so she helped to organize a kitchen and also helped to plan and cook the meals for a while. She and Cleo were instrumental in getting electricity out to their rural area. In the early ë40ís Helen helped to start the Economy Home Extension Club of Pawnee County at Terlton. She was a member of the Eastern Star for many years. She served as secretary/treasurer of the American Legion Auxiliary Post #3 of Cleveland, a member of the Business Professional Womenís Auxiliary and served in 1965 as the ninth District Director. Helen was an active Pawnee County Fair Board member. She was very successful in raising money for the council by managing the kitchen at the Pawnee County Fair. She entered exhibits at the fair and won many blue ribbons for food preparation, canning, baking, clothing and horticulture. She was a member of the FFA Alumni. She was always active in her church. She was a member of the Cleveland Area Hospital Auxiliary for many years. In 1954 Helen married Paul Ventress. Paul was the Tomís peanut man, delivering to all the area towns. He died in 1981. In the ë70ís Helen collected recipes and made a cookbook for the Economy Extension Homemakers of Terlton to raise money. While all this was taking place, Helen cared for her mother who had been badly burned in a fire at her home and later had a stroke. Helen continued to care for her mother until her death in 1972. In about 1976 Helen retired from the poultry business but continued to raise cattle through the early ë90ís. She sold the farms ñ 160 acres in the ë70ís and the homestead in 1992 retaining a lifetime right to live on the homestead until her death. She wanted the new family to live on the farm so they could tend to their cattle so she bought a small trailer and lived at the back of the yard. She enjoyed sitting on her little front porch, watching the birds, squirrels and guineas play and eat the food and water she kept out for them. She was named Homemaker of the Year in 1980. Around 1985 she became the Pawnee County distributor of commodities. People in the community donated clothes, household goods and furniture which Helen and her helpers collected and stored in one of the chicken houses so those in need could come and receive what they needed. She also had a food pantry which was furnished by many donations of food and money. If she ran out of what was needed, she would buy for the pantry from her own personal funds. In 1992 she was honored for her years as Outstanding Volunteer for her work at the Department of Human services where she had begun her work in 1946. She was a member of Clevelandís Chamber of Commerce and the Business Womenís Club. In 1998 she was honored for her lifetime of work by Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and was named Clevelandís ìCitizen of the Yearî. After retiring in 2005, for over 30 years she prepared her ìspecialî chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches for the Red Cross Blood Mobile in Cleveland. Many claimed to give blood only so they might partake of one of Miss Helenís sandwiches. She was a past president of the Terlton Senior Citizens and was instrumental in getting the building that people from all over the area enjoy. She looked forward to going on Thursday nights to listen to the music and enjoy the fellowship of all those attending. In January 2013 after a short stay in the hospital and on the advice of doctors, Helen went to live at the Cleveland Manor Nursing Home where she lived until her death. Helen was a woman of God, loved by family and friends and will be remembered by all with great love. She is preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Nona Swalley; husband, Cleo Carter; husband, Paul Ventress; daughter, Peggy Ann Phillips; daughter, Myra Jean Sparks; step-son, Gerald Ventress; granddaughter, Carolyn Babb; grandson, Darrell Adams; sisters, Hazel McGee, Zella Moore and Nona Neal; and brother Fred Swalley, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Delores Adams and her husband, Glen of Odessa, TX; step-son, Aaron Ventress and wife, Pat of Tyler, TX; step-daughter, Sue Tosatto and husband, Andy of California; granddaughter, Linda Rainey and husband, Jim of Broken Arrow, OK; grandson, Mike Babb and wife, Sherry of Katy, TX; granddaughter, Glenda Adams of Odessa, TX; granddaughter, Jeri Lynn Henderson and husband, Bob of Cleveland, OK; grandson, Darrell Sparks and wife, Jolene of Perry, OK; grandson, Roger Sparks and wife, Lee Ann of Salina, KS; grandson, Brian Sparks and wife, Dorena of Terlton, OK; 14 great grandchildren; and 19 great great grandchildren. The family would like to extend a special thank you to granddaughter, Jeri Lynn Henderson for her loving care and thoughtfulness and for all the hamburgers and french fries she brought to grandma! Also, special thanks to Kim, Shane, Kaylee & Kayden Merriman for all your help and care that enabled Miss Helen to live on the farm until January 2013. We wish to especially thank Helenís dear friend, Margaret Speegle, who was always so good to take Helen to Terlton on Thursday nights to the Senior Citizen Center for music and fellowship which she enjoyed immensely. Visitation has been scheduled at 1:00p to 6:00p on Sunday, May 18. Funeral services have been scheduled at 2:00p Monday, May 19, at Chapman-Black Funeral Home in Cleveland. Burial will be at Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland. Arrangements are by Chapman-Black Funeral Home.