Colleen Moore Beatty, 94, Vero Beach
Colleen Moore Beatty, 94, was born on April 1, 1924 in Charlotte, N. Ca., to the late Helen Beach and Carl Brown Moore, Sr. She peacefully went to be with the Lord on Sept. 10, 2018, in Vero Beach.
Colleen married Byron Helms, Sr. from Midland, N. Ca., on Oct. 4, 1942, and was blessed to share 75 years together. They resided in Midland prior to moving to Vero Beach in 1958, where they continued raising their five children.
In 1970, Colleen attended nursing school at IRCC, now IRSC, where she received her degree as a Registered Nurse. She began her nursing career as an OB/GYN nurse at Indian River Memorial Hospital, and later served as Director of Nursing at Florida Baptist Retirement Center. Colleen spent the last nine years of her nursing career in private duty health care.
Upon retirement, she began actively serving in ministry as a volunteer at First Baptist Church of Vero Beach.
In 2012, she was honored for her service and awarded the designation of “Lifetime Deacon.” Colleen was instrumental in creating a home for the Food Pantry of Indian River County at First Baptist Church, which is a mission to provide food for the hungry in our community. She served as a Trustee in this organization since its inception.
She also served as Secretary of the Florida Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for many years, after serving six years on the Representative Assembly.
Colleen was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Helen Moore; her beloved husband, Byron Sr.; brothers, Carl Moore, Jr. and Henry Moore; sisters, Margaret McManus, Sue Wallace and Billie Biggers; her children: Lynn Lindsey (Bobby); Donna Williams; Myra Chisholm (Steve); Byron “Butch” Helms, Jr.; and Betty Hunter (Dave), all of Vero Beach; as well as 16 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and beloved family members.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church of Vero Beach, or to the Food Pantry of Indian River County, c/o First Baptist Church, 2206 16th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
Visitation will be held Saturday, Sept. 15, from 10 to 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Vero Beach. A Celebration of Life service will begin at 11 a.m. immediately following visitation.
Anne E. Bunnell, 66, Vero Beach
Anne E. Bunnell, 66, of Vero Beach, passed away Sept. 12, 2018, at VNA Hospice House.
She was born March 6, 1952, in Amityville, N.Y., and had been a long time Vero Beach resident, coming from Alabama.
While living in Alabama, Anne worked as a health aide caring for handicap adults.
She loved her family, friends, and animals and will be missed by so many.
Anne leaves her memories to be cherished by her sisters, Betsy Williams and Debra Frasier; brother, Dan Fraiser; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents, George Bunnell and Barbara Wilbur.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the VNA and Hospice Foundation, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
Betty Cunningham, 97, Vero Beach
Betty Cunningham, 97, died Sept. 8, 2018, in Vero Beach after a fall. Born in Illinois to Ruth and William E. Brown, at a young age she moved to Aruba with her family.
After graduating from high school, she met and married George Cunningham who had taken a job at the Lago Oil and Transport Company on the island.
They lived in Aruba until 1942 when they felt they should leave the island because the German U boats were shelling the island refinery.
While living in New Jersey where George worked for ESSO (now ExxonMobil), Betty volunteered with the Junior League, sang for hospitals and “old folks homes” with the “Chasonettes” and raised her two daughters and two sons until 1959 when they took an assignment in southern Iran at the Iranian Oil Refining Company.
Betty adjusted to life without TV, radio, supermarkets and palatable running water where she even had to make all the family bread and ice cream. She went to the local bazaar to bargain for groceries and other household goods in farsi (Persian).
Betty happily sewed everything from swimsuits to ball gowns for her two daughters who went to prep school and University in Beirut, Lebanon. Her older son finished middle school at the company school before heading off to Rome for high school, while her youngest attended elementary at the company school.
Entertainment in Iran consisted of gathering with other employees for cards, board games, Scottish dancing, swimming and golf at the company club where the fairways were transected by above ground pipelines, goat herds and no grass.
After 2 ½ years in Iran, the family took a month-long grand tour of Europe on their way back to New Jersey.
In New Jersey, Betty raised her four children and planned a lovely wedding for her eldest daughter while her husband worked in El Salvador returning just in time for the big event.
Two years later Betty and George trundled the family off to Athens, Greece, where George helped EssoPappas build an oil refinery in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. Life in Greece was considerably more civilized than Iran. The family enjoyed Aegean island exploring and picnics all around the mainland.
Taking an early retirement, George and Betty moved to Lake City, Fla., for five years before designing and building their retirement home in Vero Beach in 1970. They immersed themselves in a community theater, their church, the power squadron, Riomar Bay Yacht Club, the Garden Club of Indian River County, the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and Vero Beach Yacht Club where they made many wonderful friends. Betty also rejoined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Completely devoted to her family, Betty’s dear husband, George, passed away in 1999 and her grandson, Jack Bauer, in 2012.
Betty is survived by her two daughters, Bonnie (Ed) and Beth (John); two sons George Jr.(Gail), and John (Cruz); eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Interment will be at the family’s convenience with a celebration of Betty’s long and good life at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Blvd., Vero Beach.
In remembrance of Elizabeth “Betty” Cunningham, Memorial contributions may be given to the First Presbyterian Church Women’s Association, or the Garden Club of Indian River County, 2526 17th Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32960.
