My Hero: Helen Elizabeth Wilcox Goldsmith

by Brady Worthington

My great-grandmother, Helen Wilcox Goldsmith, was born in November of 1910 in a farmhouse at the Wilcox family farm in the state of Washington. She was the first one in her family to be born on the farm and the 2nd oldest of her four siblings. My great-grandmother had two sisters, Grace and Marian, and a younger brother named Truman.  During this particular time, school as we think of it, was not very accessible to rural families. The children on the farm attended a school with only one room and one teacher.  You can imagine how hard it must have been to be a teacher for twenty students of all age ranges in one classroom.  There was no air conditioning and that could make it very hard to focus if it was a hot day. They did have recess, but afterward the students went back to the same room for another class.  My great-grandmother really enjoyed school because she loved to read and write. Some of her favorite years were at this one room school house. Another thing that she enjoyed very much was listening to music.  At that time, the record player was a big deal.  Having a record player was like having an iPad today. Her family got one when she was very young and every night they listened to music. She still says that listening to that record player at night with her family is one of her fondest memories.

My Great Grandmother was always caring and loving towards everyone she knew.  Every time someone in her family would come and visit her she would always greet them with a smile.  She loved when people came to visit her, and people would love to visit her.

My Great Grandmother was also very determined.  She wrote a book when she was very old (94).  She has loved writing and reading and was a writer throughout her life.  She was determined to write about her experiences and even though she was old, she could still tell stories about her life like they had just happened yesterday.  She got the book published and was very happy with its result.

My great-grandmother is my hero because she was so inspirational.  My great grandmother inspired everyone she knew.  She inspired me by the way she lived.  She always had a great spirit and was always kind to everyone she met.  She always took the time to say hello to everyone, and she was a great writer.  Writing is something I enjoy and so did she, and she was a great writer who wrote an amazing book. I hope to follow in her footsteps one day.

My great grandmother has influenced my life in many ways, but the one part of her that has had the greatest impact on me was her unconditional love. She loved my family and me very much. One of the best memories I have was when I was very young riding mini scooters with my great-grandparents holding my brother and me on their laps!  We had a great time. I still remember my great-grandmother’s laugh. My great-grandmother died when she was 101.  I am very lucky to have known her for twelve years of my life.

 

Here is a photo of the hero book I created