Helen Kay (Johnson) Hutchinson, formerly of Springfield, Ohio,age 73, passed away at home with her husband and children at her side on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, 2024, after living fully in spite of her 2022 cancer diagnosis.
Helen was born in Hamilton, Ohio to Ruth and Royden Johnson. Following her graduation from Greenon High School in Springfield, she followed in her mother and sister’s footsteps and attended Otterbein College in Westerville. She was a proud member of Sigma Alpha Tau during her college years, and she studied to become a teacher while maintaining – by all accounts – an active social life, and consequently meeting the love of her life, Brian Hutchinson. After a winter wedding, Helen and Brian enjoyed a nearly 52-year marriage. Their devotion to one another is a testament to the love and respect they had for each other, their mutual love for fun and humor, as well as the support of friends, church, and community. In the early years of their marriage, in a foiled attempt to see more of the world, Brian brought Helen away from her Midwest home on a visit to Helen’s sister Judy in a newly developed suburb of Atlanta. They found Peachtree City charming, and before their departure, Helen visited the local elementary school out of curiosity, and accidentally left that visit with a new job. They became permanent residents of Peachtree City in the mid 1970’s.
Mrs. Hutchinson was a favorite teacher to many Peachtree City children over the decades she worked within the Fayette County School System. She was a passionate educator with a fantastic sense of humor, and she loved children. She particularly enjoyed teaching Science, and she helped coach Science Olympiad during the early years of elementary school development. The family welcomes all stories from her former students and coworkers.
Helen and Brian made lifelong friends in Peachtree City. Kristin and Randy half-joked that the empty-nesters would enjoy a more active and robust social life than their college-aged children. Helen stayed busy with friends: she loved her annual beach trip with “the girls,” dinner club, church luncheons, choir practice, retired teacher meet-ups, book club, and birthday club kept her calendar full. In addition, when her grandchildren moved back to Peachtree City, she loved to take them shopping. She took her role as “G’ma” seriously, and made regular trips to Texas with gifts to ensure her grandkids were equally spoiled.
Helen was a remarkable human. She had a quiet strength that her friends and family were privileged to know. She was a dedicated caregiver to her parents, her brother, and her father-in-law in their final illnesses. She never complained, and she rarely cried. After becoming sick, she chose to spend her limited energy on the things that she loved the most: she played cards with friends, celebrated birthdays, read books, attended grandkid soccer games and chorus concerts, visited family out of state with Brian at her side, and went to the beach for a final time with her sister and dear friends. She will be truly missed.
Helen is survived by her loving husband Brian; her children Kristin (Jake Cook) and Randy (Vanessa); her sister Judy; sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, dozens of cousins, friends from every stage of her life; and her five beloved grandchildren.
A celebration of Helen’s life will be held at All Saints Anglican Church on January 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM
In lieu of flowers, donations may be in Helen’s memory to either of the following:
Fayette County Retired Educations Association (Scholarship Fund) P.O Box 202, Fayetteville, GA 30214;
or All Saints Anglican Church P.O Box 2169, Peachtree City, GA 30269 or online at https://onrealm.org/AllSaintsAnglicanPTC/-/form/give/now
