Thursday, April 20, 2017, Helen Lamkin Starling celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at River Mist. "Baby" Helen was born April 20, 1917 in Bay Springs to James and Minnie Lamkin, joining older sisters, Kate and Ava. Her father was from Cadiz, Ky., and Minnie's great-grandmother came from Holland.
All three girls attended grade school at Bay Springs, walking three miles to school.
When Helen was nine, the family moved to Harviell -- a thriving rural community with a bank, three grocery stores and a railroad tie company which fed the economy. Helen's father worked for the company as the tie inspector and went to different towns around inspecting the ties to be purchased by the tie company. Helen remembers her father being very knowledgeable about his job.
Helen was 10 when the tornado came through. "I remember," she said, "I was sick that day and didn't go to school. A train came into town with one car and stopped in Harviell on its way to the state line. Dad said they were going down to pick up every able-bodied man with a shovel so they could help clean up Poplar Bluff."
Her nephew, Jay Brickell said, "Helen attended grade school in a three room school house in Harviell and graduated from Neelyville High School in 1935." Two years later, she married a personable gentleman, Richard Starling, who loved playing the violin. "I met Dick in May and we were married in November. I guess it was love at first sight," she said. "Dick was from Jefferson City, but he had a sister who lived in Harviell. He told his sister when he first saw me, 'That's my wife!' however, that happened three years before we meet." Helen, and Dick, as she called him, moved to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, where Dick served three years in the army. When Dick left the army, the couple lived in Nebraska before moving back to Harviell where they went into business raising chickens and selling their eggs. Mr. Brickell recalled, "They sold the eggs to hospitals and restaurants. Lots of early morning hours and dedication went into the care of their business. They dedicated 17 years to this project." In retirement, they traveled and spent winters for nine years in the warmth of Southern Texas. After Dick's death, Helen traveled with her sister, Ava. Helen said, "Some good times."
Her nephew marvels at his aunt. "Helen is AMAZING! She has a mind like a steel trap and keeps on the move."
Helen has quilted since she was a child. She was working on a quilt when she was dating Dick, and, she said, "We were getting serious, so I added two inches to that quilt. Dick was 6'4"." She is currently working on a beautiful quilt top. Now she embroiders quilts instead of piecing them.
She never thought about living so long. "I had a brother-in-law who wanted to live to be 100, but I never thought much of it. He was 85 when he died." Helen doesn't know why she has lived so long. "I don't eat much meat. I've always preferred vegetables and fruits. I don't use alcohol, tobacco or drugs, and I get eight hours of sleep every night."
As for the changes Helen has seen in her life. "I didn't like it when men starting wearing their hair long." She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, dismissing the subject. "I went to a one-room school house, and now the schools are huge."
Today she keeps active. "When the weather is good, I walk around River Mist twice. When it rains, I walk through the halls." She's a reader and enjoys John Grisham and Danielle Steele. Helen works crossword puzzles when she isn't embroidering quilt blocks.
Throughout her life, Helen has worked as a teacher's aid and helped with local elections. From the time she was 9 years old, she had attended Harviell Baptist Church until moving to River Mist.