I have been doing family research for several years. From my mother, I learned she had a sister who died a full two years before my mom was born. Almost immediately, the quest to learn more about my long-deceased aunt, Helen Ann Clary, began to haunt me. Helen, you see, was not quite six years old at her death, and I have a tender spot in my heart for our little lost angels.

Following years of concerted research, I still know very little about Helen Ann. Regrettably, anyone who knew her in life is long dead; thus, we shall never know her favorite color or her favorite flower, nor will we ever know of the things that made her laugh or cry. The best I can do is ensure little Helen Ann's short life is not forgotten. So, with this page, I share all that remains of Helen Ann Clary, who lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, from August 08, 1921 to July 07, 1927.

Saint Elizabeth Hospital, 11th and South streets, Lincoln, Nebraska, where Helen died.
This photo, taken in Lincoln, Nebraska, about 1922, is the earliest photograph of Helen Ann I've found. With clear blue eyes and a porcelain complexion, Helen Ann resembles a little doll. Beside Helen is her big brother, Joseph Woodrow Clary.

Other than a handful of photographs, this little cut-glass cup is the only item belonging to Helen Ann still existing. It was given to her by her father, Joseph H. Clary, at the 1924 Nebraska State Fair. It is my most prized possession.   Taken at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln, 1925, this photograph shows a 4-year-old Helen Ann, again with her big brother, Joseph. A little angel's sweetness is clearly evident in this photograph.

Helen Ann Clary succumbed to leukemia in 1927, just weeks short of her 6th birthday - an angel taken too quickly. Her gravesite, at Wyuka Cemetery, in Lincoln, Nebraska, went unmarked for 78 years. When I finally located her last resting place, I wept at the thought that such a sweet little girl should go forgotten. Her gravesite is now marked.   God speed little angel.