Helen Jeanette (Chase) Hodges, 93, long-time resident of Forrest City, passed away peacefully July 26, 2026, at Conway Regional Medical Center in Conway, Arkansas. She was born Sept. 23, 1932, in Carlisle, Arkansas, to the late William Lafayette Chase and Thelma Hall Chase in Hallville, Arkansas. Helen grew up on a country farm near there.
When Helen was only four years old, her mother passed away, having contracted pneumonia while trying to aid other sick family members. After that, Helen was shuffled around, living with various family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) for quite some time.
Graciously, her Aunt Gladys, who already had a child, Evelyn, took Helen in. Darlene, a few years younger and also Gladys’ child, rounded out the trio of girls. During elementary school, Helen and Evelyn had to walk three miles each way to get to school. Aunt Gladys kept the girls home when it was icy. This practice caused the girls to lose so much class time that they had to repeat first grade. Eventually, the family moved to DeValls Bluff.
Following graduation from high school, Helen and Evelyn got jobs as switchboard operators for the telephone company. They did this when switchboard operators were the ones who plugged and pulled wires. Since they couldn’t afford a car, Helen and Evelyn walked to their jobs, sometimes holding hands there and back, protecting each other.
One evening, when Helen was working, there was a “call” on her switchboard. Actually, Helen heard sounds, but it wasn’t people talking. After it was determined something was really wrong, she got some “first responders” to check it out. It was an older couple who were nearly dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. After the couple spent about three weeks in the hospital recovering, Helen was recognized with an award and her picture in the paper for saving the couple’s lives.
Shortly after high school graduation, Gene Hodges began dating Evelyn and introduced his brother, James, to Helen. They attended church together at Beck Spur. It wasn’t long until Gene and Evelyn married. Then James, shortly thereafter, married Helen. Back in the 1960s, the two couples bought lots side-by-side, built houses next door to each other and raised their families.
James and Helen lived in Forrest City almost 63 years. A daughter, Janet, was born to Helen and James, and then their son, Billy, was born.
When Billy was born, James was at National Guard two-week camp in Louisiana. A bad storm had caused telephone lines to be down near their camp. So, Billy was a few days old before Helen was able to inform him, “James, I got you a boy.”
Many challenges in life were used by God to build the quality of determination in Helen. She was preceded in death by her “sweetheart” in 2015. In addition to Janet and Billy, along with Janet’s husband, Mike, and Billy’s wife, Jawana, Helen is survived by many family members.
Evelyn Hodges lived the closest to her and helped her constantly. Evelyn knew that Helen thoroughly enjoyed working in her yard and flowers.
Helen was a member of First Baptist Church of Forrest City and sang in the choir in her earlier years. She was employed by Southwestern Bell Telephone, Woodruff Electric, Sears Roebuck and Bob’s Beauty Salon.
She had a beautiful alto voice. Joyce Whitman (wife of pastor Dewayne Whitman) and she sang duets at Emmanuel Baptist Church. She and her husband got to see the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and the “Four Corners Monument” in the southwestern part of the United States, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Also, she got to travel to Atlanta a few years back, enjoying “Stone Mountain” and visiting Charles Stanley’s church, First Baptist Atlanta. While there, on that particular Sunday, at FBC Atlanta, Steven Curtis Chapman and Sandi Patty were guest soloists.
Helen strived to be a devoted wife and a good mom in raising her two children, taking them to Sunday School and church when they were little, teaching them to hide God’s Word in their hearts and the difference between right and wrong.
James and Helen paid for many music lessons. They tolerated listening to untold hours of practice. When Janet was in the UCA band, they drove to Conway for football games, waited for the third-quarter break so Janet and her parents could briefly visit, spent a little more time together after the ballgames, then drove back home.
When Billy was in Little League baseball, James became a Little League coach to help Billy. They were supportive of their children.
Stevens Funeral Service of Forrest City is in charge of funeral arrangements. Services will be Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 507 N. Rosser St., Forrest City, Arkansas, with viewing an hour before. Burial will be at Forrest Park Cemetery in Forrest City.
In lieu of sending flowers, donations may be made to your local Gideons International chapter or online at gideons.org/give. The Gideons’ main goal is the distribution of Bibles.
You may log on to stevensfuneralhome.net for the online registry.
