Helen Shirley Stephenson

November 5, 1938 - November 24, 2014 Artist Helen Shirley (Taylor) Stephenson was born November 5, 1938 in Caldwell, Idaho, to parents Harvey Taylor and Ruth Hanson, joining older siblings Melvin, Connie, Jerry, and Beverly. She spent her formative years in Glide, Oregon, where she was valedictorian of the graduating class of 1957 at Glide High School. She wed her high school sweetheart, Buford Eugene Polley Jr, on June 28, 1957. Helen and Gene had three children - Lori, Kari, and Frank. The family moved to Alaska in 1966, and lived in the cities of Sitka and Haines. The entire family remembers the Alaska years as quite the adventure. Helen moved to Denver with her second husband, Richard Harbaugh, in 1974, and then ended up settling in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 1976. She was office manager for Foss Maritime (formerly Lafferty Transportation) for 30 years, and loved watching the tugboats and The Mish-an-Nock on Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River, which would come to be a major inspiration for her art. Helen always had a propensity for drawing and painting, but started painting in earnest and building her artistic career in the early 1980s. Her oldest daughter Lori remembers her sketching still life scenes in the 1960s, and she also enjoyed tole painting for many years. Her art is currently on view at Angel Gallery of Fine Art Antiques in Coeur d'Alene, and she was also a featured artist in the Utility Box Beautification Project, commissioned in 2012 by the Coeur d'Alene Arts Commission. Her piece “Tug Boats City Scape” is located at Sherman and Government Way. Helen was very pleased to have several of her pieces on display in Fred Finney's 6,200 square foot floating mansion, La Dame du Lac. She was also featured in a 2008 article in The Spokesman-Review. Helen married fellow artist Irving Stephenson in 1991. They were married for over two decades and were proprietors of Wild Birds Unlimited in Coeur d'Alene for several years. They shared a love of frequent road trips to the Oregon Coast and got away at every opportunity. Helen enjoyed the company of Irving's children, Craig (Shannon) and Sarah (James Straub) and their families. Helen spent her last two years in Denver to be closer to her oldest daughter Lori and her family. As an added blessing her younger daughter Kari joined her in Denver. Just two weeks before she passed her son Frank arrived in Denver for a visit, making everything well in her world. Although she missed her friends and family in Coeur d'Alene, her time in Denver was rich with family gatherings filled with love and laughter. Her wonderful sense of humor and playful nature were enjoyed by all to the very end. Some of Helen's favorite things besides painting were music and dancing, especially Country Western, listening to her grandsons' band, spending time with family and friends, perusing art galleries, excursions to “The Healing Place” (AKA casinos), playing cards, cooking and baking, dragonflies, and most of all-any type of sweet treat, particularly her sister-in-law Helen Taylor's divine divinity. She was surrounded by her loving family when she passed away in Wheat Ridge, Colorado on November 24, 2014, following an acute illness and 11 day hospital stay. Her grandson Mark Leyba wrote a beautiful song for her that came to him on the morning of her passing, and he was able to sing it to her in her final moments. Helen was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings Melvin, Connie, and Beverly, and nephew Chuck Vogt. She is survived and lovingly remembered by her brother Jerry Taylor (Helen Walker), children Lori Polley (Mark Leyba), Kari Dust, and Frank Polley (Rachel Hartley), grandchildren Mark Leyba (Erin Kampsnider), Beth Leyba (Jim Norland), Jonathan Leyba (Mallory Kindsfather), and Walker Polley, step-grandchildren Tneal Titus (Joe Reynolds) and Shelby Titus (Brandon Navarro), great grandchildren Mickey and Sofia Turner and Jack, Madeline, Henry, and Claire Leyba, nieces and nephews Linda Barrie, Mike Barrie (Arlene), Patsy Barrie (Ken Recla), Jack Barrie (Brenda), Nancy Vogt (Kirk Terry), Ron Vogt (Kathy), Chris Taylor (Sam Mann), and David Taylor, as well as the Polley and Stephenson families. Helen will be laid to rest with her mother in Coeur d'Alene in late spring or early summer of 2015 in accordance with her final wishes, and a memorial service will be held at that time. If you would like to be notified of service details please contact Lori at lleyba@gmail.com.