Helen Ilene Anderson

e, visiting 104 countries and all fifty states.Helen Anderson's full life ended on Saturday, May 30, 2026, after 102 years. She had an incredibly sharp mind, a remarkable memory, and her curiosity never dimmed.

She was born on December 5, 1923, on a small farm in Chula, Missouri. She was a product of the Great Depression and knew the value of saving everything. Through good grades, she earned a scholarship and became a proud graduate of Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. World War II reshaped Helen's college years, when a Navy V-12 training unit arrived and took over the campus. Classes adapted to meet the Navy's needs, and Helen accelerated her studies and graduated in three years. After teaching in a rural Missouri school, she decided to join friends in Denver and found employment at Fitzsimons Army Hospital. There she met the love of her life, Henry, a recovering war veteran. They married in 1947 and spent one frigid winter in North Dakota before relocating to a warmer climate to support Henry's health.

In 1948 Helen and Henry stepped off the train in New Mexico. Little did they know they would fall in love with the Land of Enchantment and spend the rest of their lives exploring their new home. Helen found work with the Quartermaster at Sandia Base and subsequently earned her master's degree from the University of New Mexico in 1953. After ten years of marriage, she and Henry welcomed their only child, a daughter, Susan, in 1957.

Community was central to Helen's life. In 1949, she joined the Albuquerque branch of AAUW, the American Association of University Women, which became an important part of her life. Helen served AAUW as both the Albuquerque Branch President and the State Division President. AAUW brought her lifelong friends while funding graduate fellowships for women.

In 1960, Helen began her teaching career, educating countless junior high students in mathematics at Grant, McKinley, and Cleveland before retiring from Del Norte High School. Over the years, she and Henry made countless friends - and she outlived most of them. Together they traveled far beyond their adopted state, visiting 104 countries and all fifty states.

As her two grandsons grew through the 1990s, Helen was a constant presence in their lives. A talented seamstress, she created countless memorable Halloween costumes, and she shared her lifelong love of reading with both boys.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, in 2008, his sister, Lilly and her two sisters Olive and Rose. She is survived by her daughter, Susan, and her husband, Chris Ritchie; her grandson Eric and his husband, Gary Enis; her grandson Scott and his wife, Ann; and her great-granddaughter, Madeline Jo. Helen was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.

A memorial service celebrating Helen's life will be at 2 PM on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Manzano del Sol, 5201 Roma NE, where Helen lived for almost 14 years. The family thanks all the wonderful residents and amazing staff at Manzano del Sol who provided the perfect place to live out her golden years.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Helen's memory to two causes close to her heart. In support of research into the eye condition, she lived with, American Macular Degeneration Foundation, P.O. Box 515, Northampton, MA 01061-0515 (macular.org) or to support public television, New Mexico PBS (KNME), 1200 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 (newmexicopbs.org).