Helen Andrews Clarke

 

Helen was born in Berkeley, October 4, 1914.  Her parents were Thomas Andrews and Alma Sierra.

Helen went through schools in Berkeley.  In 1935 Helen started college in Santa Barbara.  She worked her way through college and graduated in1940 with a teacher's degree.  She taught school in Southern California.  She met Charles Dixon Clarke here who was vacationing.  He was an engineer working in South America.  Charles (Dick) returned to South America and corresponded with Helen.  After several letters were exchanged, Helen flew to South America and they were married September 3, 1942 in La Paz, Bolivia.  Dick was "boss" of the mines and the company always supplied nice homes. Helen and Dick had servants and cooks as they did a lot of entertaining.

The first boy, Charles Dixon III, was born in Long Beach, California on December 26, 1946.  Helen flew back to the states to have this first child and stayed about a year.  There were a few problems when Dixon was born, one being that Helen's' appendix burst right after giving birth.  Helen also had to have surgery on her gums and a lot of dental work.  Dixon was named after his father and earned an III after his name.

A second boy, William Thomas (Billy) was born in Chuquicamata, Chile, South America, on May 13, 1948.

Both boys spoke Spanish fluently and went to school in different places where the company would send Dick to mine.  Dick was instrumental in assuring that the United States had sufficient copper supplies during WW II.  He was a specialist in gold and copper mining.  When the boys were young teenagers they were sent to the states for schooling and graduating from high schools.

After living in South America in many different places for twenty-five years, Helen and Dick moved back to the states buying a huge home in Connecticut.  The home was on the water and had a boat port.  After two years of retirement Dick was offered another mining job in the Philippine Islands.  They sold the home in Connecticut and moved to the Philippines where they lived for 16 years and Dick retired again.  They then moved back to the states and bought a beautiful five-bedroom home with swimming pool in Rancho Santa Fe in California, This is one of the most elite areas near San Diego.  They sold this home, as it was much too large for two people and bought another three-bedroom home right on the golf links in Del Mar.  Dick became ill a year or so after this last move.  He was taken to Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla.   Dick died May 26, 1991 and interred at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego.  Helen sold this home and moved to a Senior Citizen Complex in Del Mar.  She had a two-bedroom apartment using one bedroom as an office.  Helen wrote poetry and loved operas going too as many as possible. Helen gave her car to a maid who took her wherever she wanted to go.  Helen had a cancer reappear that she had years before.   She was still able to take a few trips flying back to Massachusetts to visit Billy and his wife and two granddaughters and also to visit Dixon and his wife in Vacaville, California.

A doctor told Helen that she would die in two months, which would be about Christmas of 1997.  The doctor was wrong!  I telephoned Helen in January 1998 and said, "Helen, you are not supposed to be there."  She said, "I know, maybe I should sue the doctor"!   Helen had a keen sense of humor and had prepared herself to leave this earth.  She told me she had a wonderful life, living and traveling all over the world having two wonderful sons and their wives plus grandchildren.  Helen died June 6, 1999 and interred at Cypress View Mausoleum, California.