Helen Overman

Helen Maxine (Wells) Overman - Mom - passed from this life to eternal life with her Lord and Savior on June 27, 2020, after a very brief stay at Glenn A. Kiser Hospice House in Salisbury, NC.  Prior to this, she had been bravely fighting the illness that ultimately took her life, during a lengthy stay at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, also in Salisbury, NC.  She was a valiant warrior to the very end!
Mom was born on December 22, 1935 in Greensboro, NC.  She was the third of five children born to Maxton E. and Mamie Lee (Chandler) wells.  Her parents and her two older sisters, Jane West and Mary Lee Whedbee, predeceased her.
Mom Attended Central School in Greensboro from grades 1 through 9.  She ten attended Greensboro High School, where she received the prestigious Civitan Award for Good Citizenship in 1951.  She was an excellent student, was a member of Band and Orchestra (playing the clarinet), was a member of the Honor Society and the Venettes Service Club.  She played the piano in addition to the clarinet and was a beautiful and graceful swimmer.  She graduated in 1954 and attended Greensboro College for a short time before marrying Ernest O. Overman, Jr., - Pop - in 1955.
She was a loving and devoted wife, moving many times to many different places - wherever her husband’s career in computer technology took them and the 5 children they raised.  (Having moved so many times, skills valued by us kids amongst our friends and potential mates are the ability to pack a box and use a tape gun with authority.)
She was an extraordinary mother: loving, patient, calm, creative, active and fun!  She was also very unique.  Having survived the rationing of basic everyday essentials for life in the years of WWII, one of her favorite sayings was “Buy two and alternate”.  Also rooted in/from the many new inventions after the war was an almost obsessive affection for plastic and ball point pens…ink pens of any sort, really.
She could drive anything with tires and a steering wheel, manual or automatic transmission, and her average speed on the highway was 75mph.  This was usually in a station wagon of some sort, packed with kids.  She was definitely directionally challenged, but we always got to the intended destination at some point.
We kids - no one - had cause to be afraid of anything while in her care, as she faced any challenge or trial that came her way or her family’s way with her strong faith in God and her fearless resolve to make everything all right.  She was always calm in a storm and was quick to have a ‘plan of attack’, making it seem like things were just not that bad and that the situation could/would be overcome.  She always said she would have her own breakdown privately, after the storm had passed and things were back to normal.  We never witnessed any of her own fear or trepidation.  She instilled this same calm reserve in her children, the foundation of which is ultimate and strong faith in God.
We remained a tight knit and involved family through the years. We kids were faithful to help her and Pop before, during and after his diagnosis of cancer in 2000, which ultimately took his life in 2003.  Mom made it 7 years on her own before becoming a resident of Liberty Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Salisbury, NC where, for the duration of her life she graciously battled crippling Rheumatoid Arthritis and the cruel effects of Alzheimer’s disease. She remained kind and pleasant, even while in incredible pain. She had a true warmth and humility about her until the very end, including during her hospitalization.
We should actually say she survived us up until her body just wore out, but technically speaking, she is survived by her children Steven D. (Peggy) Overman, Cynthia L. (Overman) Morgan (the late John Morgan), H. Lynne Overman, Timothy O. (Kim) Overman and Douglas R. (Sandy) Overman. Her younger sister Harriett (Phil) Peacock and younger brother David E. (Daisy) Wells also remain with us to delight in and cherish her memory in addition to 12 Grandchildren, 11 Great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
We cannot thank the entire staff at Liberty Commons adequately or sincerely enough for their wonderful, faithful and compassionate care of Mom, without which Mom would not have been with us this long.
We also sincerely thank all the doctors, nurses and all other staff at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, including the Hospice team, as well as the staff at Glenn A. Kiser Hospice House for their diligent and tireless efforts towards Mom’s care and comfort.
Hartsell Funeral Home, 460 Branchview Drive, NE, Concord, NC is handling Mom’s service on Friday, July 10, 2020.  Visitation with family and friends begins at 2:00pm., with a private, family memorial service beginning no later than 3:00pm.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. This is a horrible, cruel disease and needs to be cured.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Overman family.