Helen V. Hoechst

Born May 13, 1927

Departed April 22, 2023

Helen Virginia Hoechst passed away April 22, 2023 at almost 96 years of age. She was married for 30 years to the late Elmer Joseph Hoechst. She was the beloved daughter of the late Calvin and Zana (Blackburn) Derrick and was preceded in death by her nine brothers and sisters: Ruth Johnson, Ethel Friedrich, Elsie Gardner, Dorothy Richardson, Ralph Derrick, Robert Derrick, William Derrick, Lloyd Derrick, Lucille Giles and also by her daughter Susan Helen Hoechst. She is survived by her son, David Hoechst, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Helen was a “giver” who thought of others before herself. She would call people who lived alone or had health issues even when she didn’t feel well herself. In her final illness she was concerned about her son, David — was he getting enough sleep? Enough to eat? Did he feel okay?

She was quiet, yet strong. She was unlikely to complain about anything and was able to “stay in the middle” emotionally. She was not easily upset about things. She did not ask for much — a real challenge when it came to finding Christmas or birthday gifts for her.

Helen was always curious about what might be outside — deer, turkeys, a groundhog? A fox? She enjoyed watching hummingbirds at the kitchen window as well as the variety of birds that came for some seed.

She was very organized and did not like clutter— a trait that was not passed on to her children. She had discipline, maintaining basically the same routine and schedule daily, with certain days allocated for a particular activity, such as laundry, cooking something special or grocery shopping. Helen lost a significant amount of weight years ago by making changes in her diet and was able to stick with it for the remainder of her life.

She was a rock and a best friend. She will always be loved and greatly missed.

Memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.