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Helen June Tidwell Harbaugh was born on June 24, 1927, to William Lawrence Tidwell and Helen Mae Shafer Tidwell at Kiowa, Kansas. She was the only girl in the family and the fifth child. She had five brothers, Lonnie, Dewey, Lloyd, Jack and Bill. She passed away at Kiowa District Hospital on September 6, 2022.
She lived west of Kiowa on the Blackstock Farms until her father passed away when she was 15 years old and she became a caregiver to her mother and brothers. She then moved to town and graduated with the Class of 1945 at Kiowa High School. She worked at several different jobs during school and after graduation, which included Kiowa News, Mable Café, Lovette Drug Store, and Turner Department Store. She had many memories working at the Mable Café.
In 1946 she went to Wichita, Kansas, to attend Venus Beauty Academy and graduated in April of 1947. She then moved back to Kiowa. She worked at several different shops fixing hair for 62 years. She was a beautician at Nelda Emmele Shop, the Kiowa Manor, and then she had her own shop at the farm called the Riverview Beauty Shop after she married Albert.
In 1948 she married a neighbor boy, Albert Harbaugh, and lived on the farm southeast of Gerlane. Albert would stop south of his farm and pick her up in the wheat truck and drive to Kiowa to deliver the wheat. She called the old GMC the courtin' truck. They were married 60 years. They raised three children, Paul, Marsha, and Kent.
On the farm she enjoyed gardening, flowers and helping Albert with the Angus cow herd and harvest. In the spring she raised chickens. The grandkids probably have stories about those chickens because they helped her butcher them and gather eggs. She always enjoyed watching wildlife in the pasture or in her yard. She loved to go to the Angus cattle sales with Albert. She loved working in the beauty shop in her home, attending the Barber County Fair each year with her gardening, sand plum jam, quilts or embroidery projects.
She was a 4-H leader and taught children sewing and cooking. Every year she would make sand plum jelly and peanut brittle around Christmas time for all her special friends and family. Helen loved to attend all sports of children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed attending high school rodeos when Colby and Ciera participated.
She even traveled to Branson with family and friends a few times. One memorial trip to Branson was with her granddaughters. One special trip that she and Albert enjoyed was to the Kentucky Derby.
She enjoyed her nephews and nieces who would come to the farm for a summer or a weekend. She was a caregiver to her family. She loved making quilts for each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She belonged to the Barber County Cowbelles, Barber County Scrap Pack Quilting Guild and the Kiowa Bowling Team. She was a member of the Kiowa United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women, the VFW Auxiliary, and the National Hairdresser Association. The last seven and a half years she has lived at the Kiowa Manor. She enjoyed getting to know the staff and sometimes told them how to do things. The ladies at the manor became her friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Helen Tidwell; her brothers, Lonnie, Dewey, Lloyd and Jack; her husband, Albert; and one granddaughter, Christine Harbaugh.
She is survived by one brother, Bill Tidwell and wife Cathy; son Paul Harbaugh and wife Yvonne; daughter Marsha Stranathan and husband Dr. Sid; son Kent Harbaugh; grandchildren and great-grandchildren Janell and Justin Goodno, Colby and Skylar Houlton and son Brody, Ciera Thurman, Janda and Jancey Goodno, Crystal and Darin Alexander, Baylan and Heston Alexander, Erica and Tommy Hutson, Hayden and Grady Hutson, Kyle Stranathan, Morgan Heath, Abby Stranathan, Sarah Harbaugh and Mark Remmert, Emily and Joshua Coffin, Ben and Lesley Harbaugh, Harlen Badger, Andi and Zeb Harbaugh.
Funeral services for Helen were held Friday, September 9, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at Kiowa United Methodist Church. Burial followed at Riverview Cemetery with arrangements by Lanman Funeral Home, Inc. of Kiowa. Online condolences may be made at http://www.lanmanmemorials.com.
Memorials may be given to Barber County Fair, Kiowa United Methodist Church, Kiowa District Hospital, or Kiowa District Manor through the funeral home.
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