Helen Fortenberry

Helen Anne Fortenberry went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 27, 2007. Helen Anne Payne Fortenberry was born on a ranch near Crosbyton, Texas on Dec. 23, 1931 to Thomas Eugene Gene Payne and Catherine Custis Payne. She graduated valedictorian of her class from Plains High School in 1949. She attended Texas Tech University and received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree, majoring in Secretarial Administration in 1953. She was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Alumni Association and the National Business Women?s Association of the Lubbock chapter; she was selected to be their representative at the National Conference in Chicago in 1952. As a student at Texas Tech and following graduation, she was secretary to the Dean of Women at Texas Tech for a number of years. She married Jim Fortenberry on August 2, 1953 in the First Methodist Church in Lubbock. Helen was very active in the business world, including a brief stint in the real estate business in Waco, Texas. Her biggest hobby was sewing and she created a company called ?Creative Stichery.? She did commercial free-hand embroidery and also taught free-hand embroidery classes at various fabric stores in the Waco area. In 1987 she co-founded Fortenberry Insurance Agency with her husband and served as recording agent, CFO and office manager. She also owned Fortenberry Management Inc. She is survived by her husband, Jim of Whitney; three children, Steve and wife, Karen of Hewitt, Kathleen and husband, Paul of Abuja, Nigeria, Diane and husband, Monte of Tyler; brother, Thomas Eugene Payne and wife, Kay of Roswell, New Mexico; sister, Frances Clewein of Capitan, New Mexico; grandchildren, Sarah, Emily, Anne, Kyle, Joshua, Lauren, Zachary, Samuel and great grandchild, Ashton.