Helen Chaapel Hudson, 89, of Ocilla died Thursday, February 10, 2011 at Palemon Gaskins Nursing Home.
Funeral services will be held at 2 P.M. Saturday, February 12 at the Ocilla United Methodist Church with Rev. Scott Brenton and Rev. Jim Osborn officiating. Eulogies will be given by Cindy Giddens and Beverly Bauerband. Interment will follow in the Ocilla Cemetery. Visitation will be held 7-9 Friday evening at the funeral home in Ocilla.
Mrs. Hudson was born June 17, 1921 in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania to the late Van A. and Alice P. Smithgall Chaapel. Having been raised on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania, Helen knew the value of hard work. After earning the distinction of being her high school valedictorian, she graduated cum laude from Penn State with a degree in home economics and immediately went to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a food inspector. She and her husband moved to Ocilla in 1947, starting a farm supply warehouse and later opened a Chevrolet dealership in 1954. She helped organize the first Girl Scout and Brownie Troupes and became one of the Ocilla’s first Flint River Girl Scout leaders. After Wilson’s death in 1980, she was named by General Motors as a dealer/owner/operator, the first woman in the General Motors Jacksonville, Florida zone to hold this position. Helen was a member and two-term president of the Ocilla Garden Club and worked on numerous community beautification projects. An active member of the Ocilla United Methodist Church, she served as president two terms of the United Methodist Women and was a member of the Us ‘n Others club. She supported the Irwin County Library and was a volunteer reader. Helen sponsored a Little League team known as Hudson Chevrolet for 47 years. The Irwin County Commissioners recognized her June 1, 1999 for her continued support to Irwin County Recreation Department. She served as director on the governing board of Sunny Dale Training Center, serving on the board as Vice-Chairman for approximately 15 years. Sunny Dale recognized her for dedicated service as Vice-Chairman in 1998, and in 1999. Helen received the governer’s award of being Georgia’s Volunteer of the Year. In October of 2004, she served as Grand Marshall of the Sweet Potato Parade.
She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law: Sandy & Johnny McClurd and Cindy & Eddie Giddens, all of Ocilla; 6 grandchildren: Brooke (Jeremy) Lott of West Green, Cady Giddens of Ocilla, Zach (Mary) Giddens of Macon and Sam Giddens of Ocilla, Jeter and Craig Williams of Evans, GA and Jana and John Barnes of Manakin Sabot, VA; 9 great grandchildren: Abby Giddens of Macon, Jaksen Lott and Judson Lott of West Green; brothers: Robert V. (Phyllis) Chaapel of Turbotville, PA and Donald W.(Annette) Chaapel of Delhi, Iowa. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Wilson Hudson and a brother, Dean S. Chaapel.
Memorials may be made to the Ocilla United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 61, Ocilla, GA 31774 or Hospice Care Options, 715 Legion Dr., Eastman, GA 31023.