Frances Marie Helmers was born in Metairie, Louisiana on June 26, 1948 to Andrew Lanclos and Gloria Bourgeois. She loved both her parents and stepparents dearly, but she always shared a particularly close bond with her father.
As the oldest of five children, she learned early what it meant to take care of others. Helping raise her brothers and sisters shaped the fiercely independent and hardworking woman she would become. Even at a young age she was known for her determination, working various jobs while still helping her family.
One of her lifelong passions was cooking. What began as helping feed a busy household turned into a true talent. Her brothers and sisters served as her earliest and sometimes very honest taste testers as she experimented in the kitchen. Over the years she built an impressive collection of cookbooks and recipes, many of which were happily tested on her own growing family.
She was a member of the charter class of Archbishop Chapelle High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Throughout her life she held a variety of jobs that demonstrated both her work ethic and her trustworthiness. Shortly after high school she worked for the phone company, counting and depositing money collected from pay phones throughout the state of Louisiana. Later she worked for Martin Marietta, where she managed the accounts of more than a dozen subsidiary companies and regularly handled deposits totaling more than a million dollars a day.
She later completed her working years as a bookkeeper at White Industry with Rose Ivins and at Air Evac handling Medicare billing. At one point she also pursued real estate, earning her broker’s license, proof that she was never afraid to try something new.
She also helped establish the financial records for MUNCH, serving as the organization’s first treasurer.
On June 10, 1983, she married the love of her life, John. Together they built a home filled with love, laughter, and a lively household of seven children.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Andrew, her sister Cathy, and her beloved son Evan.
She is survived by her devoted husband John; her children Cheri, Lisa, Andrea, Jennifer, Benjamin, and Lukas and their spouses. Along the way, she was unofficially adopted by Amy Boyer, while Amy was in high school. Her family also includes numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, her brother John Adam, her sister Michele, her Aunt Valery, and of course the beloved pets who shared her home.
In her later years, health challenges limited her ability to do many of the things she loved, something she faced with frustration but also with characteristic determination.
When she wasn’t working or caring for family, she enjoyed shopping, tending to a wide assortment of houseplants (many of which barely survived the ongoing battles with her cats), and simply getting in the car to drive through the Ozark hills to enjoy the beauty of the countryside. Those drives through the rolling hills remain some of the memories her family cherishes most.
Over the course of her life she lived in many places, including Louisiana, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas. Ultimately, however, she found her extended home in the Heart of the Ozarks, where she spent the last forty years of her life.
Above all else, she was a devoted wife and an extraordinarily protective mother. The schools in Willow Springs came to know that dedication well. Superintendents and principals, particularly Denzil Cauldwell, and band director Jon East became quite familiar with her strong advocacy for her children. She often joked that they would probably celebrate the day her last child finally graduated.
Her love for her family, her determination, and her unmistakable personality left a lasting impression on everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed, fondly remembered, and forever loved.
Memorials in Lieu Flowers:
Donations may be made to:
St. Joseph’s Indian School at the link below or to the
MUNCH Food Distribution Center, 811 E. Main St., Willow Springs, MO 65793
Arrangements under the direction of The Elliot-Gentry Carder Funeral Home, Cabool, Missouri
