Visitation will be held from 4-8 PM Wednesday and 4-8 PM Thursday, with family greeting friends Thursday from 6-8 PM at our South Lakes location (4000 SW 119th St. OKC, OK)
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday May 19, 2023 at the South Lakes Chapel (4000 SW 119th St.)
Helen B. Upshaw went to be with the Lord on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the age of 86. The daughter of Herbert and Vina (Caudill) Banks, Helen was born on July 16, 1936, in Letcher County, Kentucky, and was one of eight children. She graduated from Stuart Robinson High School in 1955 and soon moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, to find work. There she met Isaac Romellia Upshaw Jr., and the two became inseparable. They later married on April 13, 1958, and were blessed with two children, Romellia and Michael. When Mike was in elementary school, they moved to the town of Fairland in rural Indiana where Helen was a homemaker and enjoyed gardening and canning the things she grew. She was involved in both Cub Scouts with Mike and Girl Scouts with Romellia. Ike, Helen, and Romellia moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1984. Helen worked for Oklahoma City Public Schools cafeteria services. Not long after moving to Oklahoma, she met Poni Allen and her young daughter Regina. As a Sunday School teacher, she loved and ministered to many students through the years. By inviting Regina and Poni to Crossroads Baptist Church where she was a member, she built a relationship with a family that she would one day count as her own. As that family grew, so did her love for all of them. Helen enjoyed cooking for everyone on Sunday afternoons. She spoiled her family with homemade cookies, made-from-scratch birthday pizzas, and special request birthday cakes or pies. Everyone was welcome in her small home, and she would do her best to feed them all. She enjoyed playing games; Rook, Uno, and sometimes dominoes. She may or may not have been a "strategic" player who liked to win.
Helen will be remembered for her kindness, sweet smile, and delicious meals, as well as her love for the Lord and church. Most of all, she will be remembered for her unconditional love for those she called family. She created a legacy of love and security that will live on through all who knew her and called her Momma, Grandma, Nana, Aunt, and friend. Helen will be deeply missed.
Helen was preceded in death by her: parents, husband, brothers: Everett, Gene, and Bill Banks; sisters: Cinda (Dootsie) Adams, Betty Ann Williams, Mary Lou Combs, and Mallie Hobbs.
Helen leaves behind her loving family: daughter, Romellia McWilliams and husband Chad: son, Michael Upshaw: daughter, Poni Allen; Grandchildren: Andrew and Brookelyn McWilliams; Regina Bass and husband James; Alexia Acosta and Omar Renteria; and Robert Acosta; Great Grandchildren: Taleah, Ivan, Janessa, Horacio, and Amaiya, Marixa, Elena, Elyse, Juliet, and Sebastian, Giana, Issac, David, and Anthony. She also leaves behind many other extended family and dear friends.