Helen Suddith

Helen Suddith, a longtime resident of Navarre, Fl, died on Monday, August 22, 2005. She was born and raised in Sheboygan, WI and enlisted in the Navy (WAVES) in 1942. She attended bootcamp at Cedar Falls, Iowa in the second group of WAVES to go through training there. After bootcamp she went to aviation Mechanic School in Memphis, TN. Other duty Stations were NAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, NAS Jacksonville, NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Pensacola, NAS Norfolk, NAS Alameda, and Nas Whiting Field. While in Pensacola in 1948 her rate changed to Aviation Storekeeper. She served in the Navy for 21 years and retired in 1963 from NAS Whiting Field as a Chief Aviation Storekeeper. Upon retirement, she and her husband, Brad, who also retired from the Navy as a Chief Disbursing Clerk, settled in Nevarre. She remained there after her husband's death in 1991 until October, 2003 when she moved to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport. She was honored to be selected as the Mardi Gras Queen at the Retiremnet Home's 2005 Mardi Gras Ball. Helen leaves many relatives and numerous friends who will greatly miss her. She is survived by her sisters, Irene and Lillian, both of California and many nieces and nephews. Helen was a charter member of WAVES National and Northwest Florida WAVES, Unit # 52. She was a very active member of Unit # 52 and served as Historian for many years. She was also a longtime member of the Homemakers' Club in Navarre. Burial with military honors will be at Barrancas National Cemetery on Tuesday, August 30, at 2:00 p.m. with military chaplain officiating and members of WAVES Unit # 52 participating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made, if desired, in Helen's honor to a charity of one's choice or to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation (WIMSA) at Dept. 560, Washington, DC 20042-0560. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.