Obituary of Helen Mae Lucas

On October 28, 2021, Helen Mae Lucas, 83, of Colorado Springs slipped away peacefully to be with the Savior whom she loved. Helen was born to Albert and Dora (Bassler) Elliott on February 25, 1938, near Lucerne, Indiana, in the old Elliott farmhouse, where her father had been born in 1880. All eleven of his children were born there with Helen being the youngest. It is of interest that Helen's father also passed away on October 28, seventy-one years ago, and that Helen was the same age as her mother was when she passed. When Helen was just one month old, she and her father, mother, and brother were in a head-on collision close to Indianapolis. Her father suffered such severe injuries that he was no longer able to take care of the farm, but miraculously Helen escaped unscathed. Helen's mother and her 17-year-old brother, George, had to take over the responsibilities of the farm, including milking the many dairy cows. As her father improved, he was able to take on small jobs and spend time with his little daughter Helen. When Helen was still a young child, her family made several trips to Saskatchewan, Canada to visit Helen's great aunt. Her mother bought a special doll for Helen which she enjoyed playing with while they traveled over the many miles. This was a really special event to her as she had never traveled outside of her home state before. Little did she know that in the future, with her husband, she would visit several other Canadian provinces, three Central American countries, over twenty European countries, and all fifty of the United States! Helen's mother worried about her riding a bicycle, since they lived close to the state highway. Consequently, she never learned to ride a bicycle. Instead, while still a young girl, a small pony was gifted to her which was brought home in the back seat of the car with a gunny sack over its head to keep it calm. Helen loved riding the pony, even though one day when her mischievous brother got it to trot, she fell off and broke her arm! As a typical farm girl, Helen participated in 4-H, and one year she won a blue ribbon at the county fair for the best angel food cake. When Helen was twelve years of age, her father passed away. Soon, many other changes occurred in the family's life. George became a vibrant Christian and eventually left the farm and enrolled in The People's Bible College in Colorado Springs to prepare for the ministry. In the summer of 1954, George and two fellow students at the Bible College held a gospel tent meeting in Logansport, Indiana. There Helen made a life-changing commitment to Christ. This event stood out vividly in Helen's memory for the rest of her life. That fall she followed her brother to Colorado Springs to complete her high school education. Following graduation, she attended Peoples Bible College for three years. For the next two years, she taught at a Christian School in Logansport, Indiana, before returning to finish her senior year of college in Colorado Springs. It was while Helen was in her final year of college that she and John Lucas began dating. They fell in love, and on May 28, 1963, they were married in Colorado Springs where they have been long-time residents. Helen was John's faithful companion for fifty-eight years and five months to the day. Together, they were blessed with a wonderful family of five children. Helen was the cook for The People's Bible College for two years before starting a family and raising her children. Even though she lived in the city, Helen was a farm girl at heart. She loved to garden, and her family thrived on all the fresh produce. Every summer, she canned and frozen lots of fruits and vegetables, one year freezing sixty quarts of green beans. She enjoyed growing many flowers in the garden and around the yard. Her love of cooking was shown by the delicious Sunday and holiday dinners she prepared. She seemed to have almost endless energy as she worked many long hours caring for her family. Later, she began housecleaning, a parttime job that she enjoyed doing until she was over 80 years old! Helen was an active member of Foothills Missionary Church as a Sunday School treasurer and secretary for many years. She often cleaned the church and tended the flowers on the church property. For several years, she was involved with the church in distributing food from the food bank. She was known as a kind, gracious, and caring friend by all who knew her. In addition to her parents, Helen was preceded in death by five brothers, Paul, George, Donald, Harold, and Lester Elliott; three infant sisters, Frieda, Ruth, and Agnes; one half-brother, Forest Elliott; and one half-sister, Maude Thompson. Helen is survived by her husband of fifty-eight years, John Lucas, Jr., of Colorado Springs; three sons, David (Ruth) Lucas of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jonathan (Anna) Lucas of Peyton, Colorado, and Robert (Julie) Lucas of Colorado Springs; two daughters, Esther (Jonathan) McVey of Colorado Springs, and Barbara (Chad) Clemens of Nampa, Idaho; sixteen grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews. A devoted Christian, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, Helen Mae Lucas was the light that lit the Lucas home. She will be greatly missed.Visitation, 6:00PM-8:00PM, Thursday, November 4, 2021, The Springs Funeral Services, 3115 East Platte Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909.Masks/ facial coverings are required.Funeral Service, 10:30AM, Friday, November 5, 2021, Faith Covenant Bible Church, 1311 Columbine Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907. Events Visitation Thursday, November 4, 2021 6:00PM - 8:00PM The Springs Funeral Services 3115 East Platte Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Phone: 719-207-8855 Funeral Service Friday, November 5, 2021 10:30AM Faith Covenant Bible Chapel 1311 Columbine Boulevard Colorado Springs, CO 80907 Phone: 719-473-2370 Final Resting Place Fairview Cemetery 1000 S. 26th Street Colorado Springs, CO 80904