Advice from the last first lady of Whitefish: 'Hard work never hurt anybody'

Whitefish could not have founded a purer role model for its final first lady than Helen Morris, a community-spirited lifelong resident with no bad habits.

“I never smoked or drank,” she said. “I don’t drink coffee or tea either.”

For fun, she bakes cookies by the dozens that she sells for kisses from her eight grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. In the summer, she grows beautiful flowers that she uses for weekly flower arrangements for First Baptist Church.

Married for 73 years, Helen, 95, and her late husband, David, donated property for the First Baptist Church and helped found and buy the property for the Whitefish Saddle Club. David was a founding member of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse while Helen served as the group’s historian.

“They both were really active all their lives and were good people,” said Pat Gilbertson, a member of Beta Sigma Phi which started the tradition of naming a First Lady of Whitefish.

Elected by local business people, Helen becomes the 65th and final first lady. Because of few volunteers with time to handle the legwork, the sorority decided with regret two years ago to make this year‘s first lady their last.

“We would love for some other organization with the time to pick it up,” Gilbertson said.

She called Helen the perfect first lady to end on a high note, based on her credentials as a lifelong Whitefish resident known throughout the community.

Helen was stunned but pleased when Beta Sigma Phi members Gilbertson and Donna Mast appeared in her driveway with the traditional yellow rose. Helen’s daughter Marie Hedman was in on the super-secret selection and showed up that morning as well.

“I didn’t have any idea,” Helen said with a laugh. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to act or talk.”

It’s just another of the many roles that she has served in Whitefish. Others ranged from wife, mother, grandmother and family business partner to horsewoman and community and church volunteer.

Her life journey in Whitefish witnessed both triumphs and tragedies, beginning with her birth as Helen Velvedere on Nov. 24, 1916.

“My parents died in the flu epidemic,” she said. “I was adopted when I was a little under 2 by Obie and Pearly Clark.”

Helen learned later that before her parents died, they thought her younger brother had died so they set him outside on a lumber pile. A nurse sent to remove the body was startled when she thought she saw him move.

“He was still alive,” Helen said. “She took him home and put him in the oven to warm him up.”

After adoption by the Clarks, she lived on a farm where she helped out with chores and attended Whitefish schools. She met her future husband when his mother sent him “to grandma’s place” for a pail of milk.

“I was 8 and he was 12,” Helen said.

It seemed that fate had matched the two of them. Born on the same date of Nov. 24, they continued their relationship through school, then married on their joint birthday in 1935 when Helen turned 19 and David turned 23.

In the early days of their marriage, they lived together in logging camps where David worked and Helen kept house and cared for Marie. Their cabin was primitive with no indoor bathrooms.

“You could throw a cat out through some of the cracks,” she said with a laugh. “It was fun — it was like camping. You know I lived on a farm all my life so it didn’t make any difference.”

As their family grew to add Marie’s brother Bob, she and David bought their farm in 1942 on more than 100 acres on the south end of Whitefish. It was a dream come true for Helen.

“I always said when I walked to school from 5 miles out of town that ‘someday I was going to live there on that place’ and they thought I was crazy,” she said. “I liked the scenery. The house wasn’t much.”

It started out as a small log cabin.

Over the years, they changed windows and doors, added a basement, plumbing, a bathroom, bedrooms, a porch and sided over the logs.

David became an outfitter and bred palomino Tennessee walking horses for the business. They also raised alfalfa, hay and a huge garden.

When she first moved to the farm, Helen wasted no time getting acquainted.

“I walked up and down the road and met people,” she recalled. “We started a homemakers club. We had a lot of fun.”

She and David joined with about a dozen others to buy property and start the Whitefish Saddle Club. Marie remembered the fun young riders, including her brother Bob, had playing games on horseback.

“We had saddle clubs all around the valley, “ Marie said.

Helen remembered the many breakfasts and dinners at the club. She enjoyed helping with the pancake breakfasts.

“I flipped pancakes,” she said. “The rest of them couldn’t do it right.”

David worked with his twin brother, Lester, and others to found the Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse in Kalispell in the late 1940s. At first, their main function was to help with mountain search and rescue but they expanded to perform precision drills, ride in parades and perform crowd control.

Women didn’t belong to the posse in the early days but Helen attended all the events. She also listened to the radio scanner and relayed messages.

“When kids got lost on the mountain, I would hear it and call the posse members,” she said.

David and Helen also were active in the Back Country Horsemen. The posse and this group remain active in the valley.

Marie said that her mother acted as historian for many of these groups.

“She made scrapbooks for all of them for their histories,” she said.

Helen remains active with gardening, canning, crocheting and going to lunch with friends. Marie said the family calls her their “Energizer bunny.”

She shared her secret of health and longevity:

“Hard work never hurt anybody and the more you work the better. It keeps you younger.”

Helen’s living room provides a snapshot of her life with photos of the posse, a painting of David and another of Lucky, one of their Tennessee walking horses. Plaques and other mementos recall their many volunteer activities.

Now she adds the memories of the day she received the yellow rose as the 65th First Lady of Whitefish. Helen said she knew this was to be the last year. The recognition lunch is at noon at the Whitefish Moose Lodge on May 5.

She never dreamed that she would received the honor.

“I was shocked,” Helen said.

No one remains a bigger advocate of Whitefish. She traveled outside of Montana a few times but always returned home with gratitude.

More than nine decades in the same town have only strengthened her love of Whitefish and her home.

“I wouldn’t trade this place for anything,” Helen said. “I never wanted to live anywhere else.”

Tickets for the May 5 First Lady of Whitefish Luncheon go on sale April 23 for $15 at the Whitefish Credit Union.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.