Earlie Helen Durrance died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007. The service will be at 1 p.m. EST Sunday at the chapel of First Baptist Church, with burial at Lake Ellen Baptist Church Cemetery, Medart, Wakulla County, Fla. The family will receive friends from 5 to 9 p.m. EST Saturday at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home (850-877-8191), 1737 Riggins Road. In accordance with Helen's request, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Karen Hodge Bender Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund, Florida State University, 2010 Levy Ave., Suite 300, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2739, or (850) 644-6000. Pallbearers include Jacob Cone, Chandler and Jackson Gladwin, John and Michael Going, Cameron Hunter, Dylan Oxford and Ryan Whitfield. Honorary pallbearers are Julia Distelhurst, William Gladwin Jr., Sarah Going, Lamar Hartsfield Jr., Lynn Hodge, Dorothy Helen Howell, Murray Langston and Patricia Oxford. As the sun rose on the Lord's Day, 21 January 2007, the heavenly creator sent his angel of peace and mercy for the sweet soul of dearly loved aunt and sister, Earlie Helen Durrance, to live forever in paradise with him and her family and friends who have already crossed the river of life and were waiting for her under the shade of an old Wakulla County scrub-oak tree. Aunt Helen, as she was affectionately known by her family and cherished by everyone who met her, was born 19 April 1915, in Medart in Wakulla County, from the happy union of two Florida pioneer families. Her father is Earlie Harris Durrance, whose parents are John Alexander Durrance and Mary Ann Sasser, with respective parents of Jessie Durrance and Catherine Stephens and Evans Sasser and Sallie Jackson. Her mother is Sarah Elvie Whaley, lovingly known as "Sallie" and "Nanny," whose parents are John Knott Whaley and Sarah Cornelia Pigott, with respective parents of Thomas Evans Whaley and Catherine Taylor and John Ervin Pigott and Mary Elizabeth Revell. Upon the death of her father, "Earlie," in 1922, for whom she was named, she at age six moved to Tallahassee with her mother Sallie and three sisters, Mary Devota ("Bobo"), Bertie Cornelia, and Clara Copeland ("Copie"). After graduating from Leon High School in 1932, she took a secretarial/bookkeeping class at Lively Technical and Vocational School and accepted a position in her first and only full-time employment, for a then recently established attorney named William Knott "Bully" Whitfield. She remained with Bully for 53 years, until his sudden death 20 October 1993. To everyone - "their" clients, the judiciary, other attorneys, friends and their families - they were a dynamic team. Simply put, what Bully knew Helen knew, and what Helen knew Bully knew. Throughout "their" legal practice they were totally dedicated to upholding the highest principles of justice and totally giving of themselves to the people who came seeking their help. Tallahassee and the 2nd Judicial Circuit has never been better served than by the law firm of "Whitfield and Durrance." In addition to "practicing law" Aunt Helen loved her family! Not just a simple caring love, but a selfless dedication and devotion that made her the behind-the-scenes driving force of many family functions. She organized and cooked for family get-togethers, she offered advice when sought by relatives and friends, she loaned and freely gave money when family or friends need assistance, and she taught her family table manners and corrected improperly spoken grammar "behind the at" being a favorite retort. But above all she loved her family! Truly loved every one of them. And though Aunt Helen never had any biological children, she had many, many children for she was a second mother, but especially to Sporty, Billy, Lynn, Tricia, Karen, Sarah, Julia and Murray. She also had an enduring love for a little patch of sand "on the coast" at Alligator Point, on which her brother-in-law, "Honest" Keith Hodge, who called her "The Queen" built her a little house known by many as The Cottage or US'S Cottage, as she named it. For years one could always find Aunt Helen hauling buckets of hard quahog clam shells and seaweed from the beach to "pave" the sand driveway, pulling weeds, arranging stepping stones, moving limestone rocks, doing touch up painting, cooking homemade coquina soup and "Helen burgers," walking the beach and having church and family gatherings. Even through the heartbreak of hurricanes Kate and Agnes her love endured. And thus, there is absolutely no doubt in our minds that Aunt Helen is walking the beaches of Alligator Point saying, "Come on, let's walk to the Point!" Aunt Helen was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church, Tallahassee. Until her illness robbed her of this joy, she gave inspiring devotionals in her Faith Sunday School Class and participated in the Women's Missionary Union and many other church activities. She was an active member of the Caroline Brevard Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution and Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge, based on the service of great-great grandfather Ezekiel Whaley, private and fifer in the North Carolina Continental Army who married Nancy Jarmon, and the Anna Jackson Chapter No. 224, United Daughters of the Confederacy, based on the service of her grandfather John Alexander Durrance, Private, 1st Florida Cavalry CSA, and other family members. For 20 years, she volunteered as a "pink lady" at the Tallahassee Memorial Regional Hospital Auxiliary gift shop, working side by side with her sister, Copie, while her sister, Devota, was a pink lady in admissions. Aunt Helen was a wonderful cook, especially when preparing collard greens, mustards, squash casserole, sour cream pound cakes and chocolate sheet cakes. There is no doubt that master chefs could have learned a trick or two from her when it came to creative food and food substitutions, for she always came up with new and tasty dishes. Though Aunt Helen is missed, her smile, warmth and goodness will always be remembered for as long as her family and friends have her cherished memory in their hearts. She is survived by her sister, Bertie Cornelia Durrance Distelhurst of Thomasville, Ga.; a foster brother, Wilson Murray Langston of Tallahassee; and "her children," six nieces and nephews, Wilburn Lamar Hartsfield Jr., William Joseph Gladwin Jr., and Mary Patricia Hodge Oxford, all of Tallahassee, Keith Lynn Hodge of Fort Myers, Sarah Denise Distelhurst Going (and husband the Rev. Lee Going) of Louisville and Julia Elizabeth Distelhurst (and Hunter) of Atlanta. Her 15 great-nieces and -nephews include Catherine Anne Hartsfield Cone, Nancy Hartsfield Clemons, Sarah Copeland Gladwin, William Chandler Gladwin, Virginia Helen Gladwin and William Jackson Earlie Gladwin, both named for Aunt Helen, all of Tallahassee, John Mark Going of Charlottesville, Va., Michael Lee Going of St. Louis, Thaddeus Dylan Oxford and Ryan Cameron Hunter, both of Atlanta, Heidi Brooke Hunter of New York City, Joseph "Josh" Gerald Hunter of Chicago, Stephanie Hodge Goldberger of St. Augustine, Keith Lynn Hodge Jr. of Jacksonville and Bryan Chandler Hodge of New York. She also has many great-great-nieces and -nephews, including Danielle Rae Cone Scoggins, Jacob Lamar Cone, Ashley Elizabeth Cone, Natalie Renee Whitfield, Ryan Kendrick Whitfield and Tanner Wade Clemons, all of Tallahassee; Alexandra Goldberger and Ian Goldberger, both of St. Augustine; Emma Clare Oxford of Atlanta; Genevieve Riley Going and Oliver Levain Going, both of St. Louis; and Hermione Grace Going and Sarah Catherine Going, both of Charlottesville. She is survived by a great-great-great-nephew, Preston Keith Scoggins of Tallahassee; by a cousin, Dorothy Helen Howell of Tampa, also named for her, and Nat, Billie and Jimmy Whaley of Medart; by her dear friend, Emily Turvaville, Frances Roberts and Vaulda Whiddon, both of Tallahassee; and by a very, very special lady, Christine "Miss Chris" Williams, her dear and devoted Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 1/26/2007.