Helen Brenchley

Helen Martha Lee Brenchley, of San Jose, Calif., died Nov. 17, 2006, after a brief illness, just shy of her 80th birthday. Her life was gracious and sweet, spent loving her family, friends and the outdoors.

Helen was the "quintessential mom" - room mother, PTA participant, scout leader, empathetic caretaker and the best cheerleader in the entire universe.

A graduate of Whitefish High School and the University of Washington, Seattle, with a B.A. in literature, she was a great intellect and loved reading as well as many other academic pursuits. A native Westerner from Montana, she was also an avid wilderness conservationist.

Some very best family memories are of spending adventurous and delightful summers in the woods of Whitefish. Her love of the woods will live on. One of her greatest legacies is her generous donation to the Sempervirens Fund so that they may purchase land to conserve California's coastal redwood forests. Her vivacious spirit will be with us always.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Eldon and Vadna Lee, of Whitefish.

She is survived by and her husband of 56 years, Col. Ben Brenchley, who was the love of her life along with her children, Bill Brenchley and grandson Christopher, and Joan Brenchley and son-in-law Kevin.

A garden party celebrating her life will be held lakeside in Whitefish next summer. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Sempervirens Fund, Drawer BE, Los Altos CA 4023.