Helen Louise (Bahm) Head of Lexington, VA, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
She was born on April 15, 1922 in Brussels, Belgium, the second child of John Fletcher and Aimée Vitel Bahm. As a young girl, her family moved to Brazil where her father managed a General Electric factory. At the outset of World War II, Helen enrolled at Edgewood Park Junior College in Briarcliff, NY. This was close to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she met a cadet, Harold “Hal” Sears Head, whom she married in June 1943 following his graduation. As the wife of a career military officer, she lived in Japan (twice), as well as several locations in the United States. The family’s final move was to Lexington, VA, where Hal served 19 years as the registrar of Washington & Lee University.
Throughout her life, Helen was very active in the communities in which she lived. During the mid-1950s she volunteered at the Georgia School for the Blind in Columbus, GA. In Lexington, she served on the Board of Trustees and the Vestry at R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church (now Grace Episcopal Church), as well as superintendent of the Sunday School program. She studied the four-year Episcopal course in Education for Ministry and became a facilitator for it in her church. She also served as President of the Rockbridge County SPCA Board. Importantly she helped establish a hotline for troubled college students and townspeople. Helen and Hal were founding members of Kendal at Lexington, where she served on various committees, especially the Bereavement Committee, and was beloved by many residents and staff members alike.
She expressed her artistry through sketching, watercolor painting, and making enamel jewelry for her friends and family. She was a talented and prolific writer, creating poetry, especially haiku, as well as short stories and essays. She published a children’s book titled “The Mysterious Elephant” in 2017. She continued her pursuit of knowledge by auditing courses at Washington & Lee University, and researching topics of interest with the Ignorance Club. Just like her French mother, Helen was widely regarded as a superb chef, and not least, she could converse in four languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Helen was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Harold Sears Head. She is survived by her three children, Harold David Head (Laura), of Chattanooga, Ronald Bryan Head (Cecilia), of Eugene, Or., and Eileen Louise Head, of Lexington, Va.; as well as by eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The family is grateful to ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, the Kendal staff, and especially to Pamela and Hope. Donations may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, and the Rockbridge County SPCA.
A memorial service and inurnment will be held at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 19, at Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington, Va. with a reception to follow at Kendal. The service will be live streamed for those unable to attend and can be accessed on the church website at https://www.gracelexva.org/.