Helen Grace Eck

Helen Grace Eck, age 57, loving mother and daughter, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven in the early morning hours of Monday, May 23, 2022 at CarePartners Hospice Solace Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

A lifelong resident of Old Fort, Helen was born in Marion, North Carolina on January 6, 1965 and was the daughter of Clyde Henry Eck Sr. and the late Judy Lorene McEntire Eck. In addition to her mother, she was preceded in death by one brother, Leroy Alan Eck. Helen loved living in western North Carolina and enjoyed all the natural wonders that the southern Appalachian Mountains offer to us. Inspired by nature from a young age, friends would often find Helen enjoying her passion for photography, hiking to Catawba Falls, or simply enjoying an adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway with her son and best friend, Montana. Even at home, in the hills of the Crooked Creek community, one could always tell how much Helen cared about animals. Whether it was bird watching, bottle-feeding a newborn goat, or snapping pictures of butterflies, Helen truly loved nature. A friend to all she met, Helen spent nearly 30 years working at Columbia Forest Products in Old Fort. Although she may have worked a variety of jobs and shifts during her time at CFP, Helen took great pride in her role as Safety Coordinator. Helen was a hard worker, cared deeply about all of her work colleagues, and quickly garnered a reputation for being the person to turn to if you wanted a special batch of Peanut Butter Fudge or Apple Butter.

Those left to cherish her precious memories are her only son, whom she loved more than anything, Dr. Montana Alan Eck; her father, Clyde Eck Sr.; her brother, Clyde “Chuck” Henry Eck Jr.; two nieces, Ciara Buchannan (Tyler), Jennifer Fowler (Jason); and one nephew Cody Eck (Chelsie). Her close friends, Christel Lowery, Linda Phillips, Arlene Wilson, and Jeannie Elliott, will also cherish her memory forever.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 11:00 am in the chapel of Beam Funeral Service with the Reverend Darren Best officiating. The family will receive friends from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow the service at Cherry Springs Memorial Park.