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Helena M. Kelly
1877 - 1970 (93 years)
Kelly, Helena - Obituary
Quite an astounding read! Helena Montana Kelly lived quite a life. Raised on an original Californio rancho, educated in Tucson, Arizona, married a French tailor in Salinas, went to Yuma to care for her brother, the Superior Court Judge, taught high school in Yuma for 25 years; returned to California to run her parent ranch. Lived to 92 as a bad-ass cattlewoman!
Daughter of Martin Patrick Kelly (1840 NY - 1923 CA) and Sarah Belle Cole Kelly (1855 MN - 1935 CA); married Alfred DePaquette (1870-1930) in 1920 in Yuma, Arizona.
Photo
El Sahuaro yearbook
The University of Arizona, Tucson
1913 edition, Class of 1913
HELENA M KELLY, B. A.
San Jose, California [residence]
“And mistress of herself though China fall.”
“Kelly” came from the land of “showers and flowers” to lend a hand in the progress of the new State. She expects to spend her future in training the young Arizonians in the high ideals of good citizenship.
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Aunt Lena was born at the "Mission Ranch" ajacent to Mission Soledad, Soledad, Monterey Co, CA November 16, 1878. The family moved to the foot of La Gloria Grade in 1879 (across from the Montery Swiss Rifle Club). Later they moved to La Gloria Valley when Martin Patrick Kellly purchased property from the Pura Family (formerly a portion of the Gonzales Spanish Land Grant). When the children were small Lizzie (Elizabeth) drove a horse and cart with the children from the ranch house down La Gloria Grade to go to school. Later a 1-8 grade school was built on the Pura property at La Gloria and the children attended school there until they attended High School in Gonzales. After high school, Aunt Lena moved in with her grandmother Cole in San Jose and attended San Jose Normal (later SJSU) to gain a teaching crredential. Her first teaching position was at San Ardo, later at San Lucas in one room school houses. Lena attended Stanford to polish her Spanish speaking skills and earned a High School Teaching Credential, then moving to Arizona.
Aunt Lena (Helena) moved to AZ to "take care of Henry" around 1910 or 1911 and she taught Spanish at the local high school. This was when AZ was still a territory and the high school was located in the old Army prison at Ft. Yuma. Lena retired from teaching in 1938 and moved back to La Gloria to run the ranch and take care of Uncle George (my grandmother's twin brother) after her mother died. Charley, Henry and Lena retained cattle 'rights' and the balance of the family collected 'rent' (about $200 per year) for pasturing the cattle owned by Charley, Henry and Lena. I vacationed with Aunt Lena for Christmas, Easter and all summer from 1945 thru 1955. She was a taskmaster, and encouraged me to read every afternoon just prior to taking a siesta (nap). I had a few chores, but Henry Martinez the hired 'hand' did most of the real work. I do remember one time dumping ashes into the outhouse for odor control, not realizing the ashes had hot coals...needless to say with all the fertilizer therein within hours the outhouse caught fire and Henry was blamed for smoking -- I was too scared to fess up to telling the truth on that one!
Lena was quite a cow woman and rode her 18 hand horse Diamond (he was huge--all black with a diamond on his forehead between his eyes!) all over the ranch with her silver trimmed saddle (with tapadero's I might add!). I rode an old horse (gelding) Deck until he passed away, then a dopple grey mare Linda (who bucked me off in the Slough Field) and later on some other horse. Henry Martinez rode Goldie, a chestnut mare.
Besides cattle, the ranch also supported about 60 head of sheep and earlier about 20 hogs until about 1945. Lena was well known as she packed a 20 gauge and 12 gauge shotgun in the pickup when she was riding around -- scaring off poachers and killing squirrels for the cats to eat. She was also famous for killing a mountan lion in the 30's at the ranch.
Lena lived was very active until the last year of her life. She was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 1970 and passed away at Hazel Hawkins Hospital in Hollister on Pearl Harbor Day (Dec 7, 1970) at 9:30 PM.
-- Michael C Nicholls (Kelly family)
Photo
El Sahuaro yearbook
The University of Arizona, Tucson
1913 edition, Class of 1913
HELENA M KELLY, B. A.
San Jose, California [residence]
“And mistress of herself though China fall.”
“Kelly” came from the land of “showers and flowers” to lend a hand in the progress of the new State. She expects to spend her future in training the young Arizonians in the high ideals of good citizenship.
-------
Aunt Lena was born at the "Mission Ranch" ajacent to Mission Soledad, Soledad, Monterey Co, CA November 16, 1878. The family moved to the foot of La Gloria Grade in 1879 (across from the Montery Swiss Rifle Club). Later they moved to La Gloria Valley when Martin Patrick Kellly purchased property from the Pura Family (formerly a portion of the Gonzales Spanish Land Grant). When the children were small Lizzie (Elizabeth) drove a horse and cart with the children from the ranch house down La Gloria Grade to go to school. Later a 1-8 grade school was built on the Pura property at La Gloria and the children attended school there until they attended High School in Gonzales. After high school, Aunt Lena moved in with her grandmother Cole in San Jose and attended San Jose Normal (later SJSU) to gain a teaching crredential. Her first teaching position was at San Ardo, later at San Lucas in one room school houses. Lena attended Stanford to polish her Spanish speaking skills and earned a High School Teaching Credential, then moving to Arizona.
Aunt Lena (Helena) moved to AZ to "take care of Henry" around 1910 or 1911 and she taught Spanish at the local high school. This was when AZ was still a territory and the high school was located in the old Army prison at Ft. Yuma. Lena retired from teaching in 1938 and moved back to La Gloria to run the ranch and take care of Uncle George (my grandmother's twin brother) after her mother died. Charley, Henry and Lena retained cattle 'rights' and the balance of the family collected 'rent' (about $200 per year) for pasturing the cattle owned by Charley, Henry and Lena. I vacationed with Aunt Lena for Christmas, Easter and all summer from 1945 thru 1955. She was a taskmaster, and encouraged me to read every afternoon just prior to taking a siesta (nap). I had a few chores, but Henry Martinez the hired 'hand' did most of the real work. I do remember one time dumping ashes into the outhouse for odor control, not realizing the ashes had hot coals...needless to say with all the fertilizer therein within hours the outhouse caught fire and Henry was blamed for smoking -- I was too scared to fess up to telling the truth on that one!
Lena was quite a cow woman and rode her 18 hand horse Diamond (he was huge--all black with a diamond on his forehead between his eyes!) all over the ranch with her silver trimmed saddle (with tapadero's I might add!). I rode an old horse (gelding) Deck until he passed away, then a dopple grey mare Linda (who bucked me off in the Slough Field) and later on some other horse. Henry Martinez rode Goldie, a chestnut mare.
Besides cattle, the ranch also supported about 60 head of sheep and earlier about 20 hogs until about 1945. Lena was well known as she packed a 20 gauge and 12 gauge shotgun in the pickup when she was riding around -- scaring off poachers and killing squirrels for the cats to eat. She was also famous for killing a mountan lion in the 30's at the ranch.
Lena lived was very active until the last year of her life. She was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 1970 and passed away at Hazel Hawkins Hospital in Hollister on Pearl Harbor Day (Dec 7, 1970) at 9:30 PM.
-- Michael C Nicholls (Kelly family)
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